From Pariah to Hero
by TheCastorbean
Summary: How To Train Your Dragon with a female Hiccup and male Astrid. Follows the story with a few significant changes to keep things interesting. Companion to 'The Village Prodigy' which is written in Aster's POV. Let's see what Hiccup thinks. Can be read as a stand alone or with 'The Village Prodigy.'
1. Chapter 1

_This is Berk._

 _Its twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery. My village, in a word, sturdy. It's been here for seven generations but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests. You see most places have mice or mosquitos, we have…dragons._

 _Most people would leave. Not us, we're Vikings, we have stubbornness issues. My names Hiccup. Great name, I know, but it's not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls, like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that._

 _Our Chief, Stoick the Vast, is said to have popped a dragons head clean off its shoulders as a mere babe. Do I believe it? Yes I do._

 _The meathead with the attitude and interchangeable hands is Gobber, the village blacksmith, I've been his apprentice since I was little – well littler._

 _Oh and let's not forget the teens. Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Aster. Their job is so much cooler, putting out fires as the local fire brigade._

 _One day I'll get out there because killing a dragon is everything around here._

 _A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed. Gronkles are tough, taking down one of those would definitely get me a boyfriend. A Zippleback? Exotic, twice the status. And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire._

 _But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one's ever seen. We call it the Night Fury. This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and never misses. No one has ever killed a Night Fury, that's why I'm gonna' be the first._

 _Oh and there's one more thing you need to know…_

 _The Chief, the one who supposedly snapped a dragons head off its shoulders as a baby, can take on a Monstrous Nightmare with his bare hands, and chop a boulder down the center with a single axe stroke?_

 _He's my dad._

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I sat bolt upright in bed as the warning drums rang out, signaling the beginning of a raid. By the time I'd pulled on my bearskin vest and leather boots people were already beginning the counter attack. I flung the door open just in time to meet the Monstrous Nightmare that had been casually flying past my house. My hand jerked toward the handle, flinging the door closed and bracing myself against it as the dragon let out a stream of fire on the other side.

It stopped a moment later, probably preoccupied with the sheep or some brave soul who had noticed the thing attempting to burn down the chief's house. Regardless it allowed me time to sprint to the back door and make it outside, stumbling down the hill and around the warring populous in an attempt to make it to the forge.

"Hiccup!" Mrs. Hofferson shouted as I brushed passed her.

"What's she doin' out here!" another man cried, nearly clipping me with the axe he was holding as I ducked under his arm.

"Get inside!" someone else shouted.

I skidded into the forge and made a beeline for the leather apron hanging on a hook in the corner. "Well look o' decided ta join the party!" Gobber said, wiping some sweat off his brow, "I thought ye'd been carried off."

"Who me?" I laugh, hefting a spiked mallet from the floor and onto one of the hooks, "c'mon I'm way to muscular for their tastes, they wouldn't know what to do with all this."

"They need breath mints don' they?" he replied.

I cracked a smile. It was an old joke, me being the best smelling Viking in the archipelago because I bathe more than once a month and learned a few perfume recipes from the Goethi as a child, most of which I've improved on. They actually sell pretty well among some of the village women.

Two men appeared at the window and flung a half dozen weapons on its wooden surface, which I picked up and started working on while Gobber continued to pound on his sword. While I stoked the fire I happened to glance outside and take note of the teens, who were working to put out a blaze across the square.

Fishlegs and Snotlout made it there first, dumping their full buckets at the base while the twins fought over their single load. Then Aster entered the scene, spinning on his heels to douse the fire and turning just in time to miss the explosion that followed. The other teens formed ranks behind him as the wind from the blast knocked his long blonde hair into his eyes. A casual jerk of his head brushed his bangs back, making me sign dreamily and nearly burn my hand on the sword I was reworking.

I had just started to vault myself out the open window when Gobber hooked the back of my tunic, dropping me next to the anvil. "Oh c'mon let me out!" I protested, "I need to make my mark!"

"Ye've made plenty'a marks lass, in all the wrong places."

"Two minutes Gobber, I'll kill a dragon and my life will be infinitely better."

"Ye can't lift a hammer, ye can't throw an axe, ye can't even throw one'a these-" he argued, picking up a bola just in time to have it snatched out of his hand and used to bring down nearby Gronkle.

"I've got it covered! See this will throw it for me" I said, pulling the leaver on my newest invention. The helmet I hadn't realized was there shot out and Gobber reflexively moved to the side, allowing it to fly out the window and nail one of the waiting customers. He let out a surprised _oomph_ and fell backwards in a dead faint.

"See!" Gobber cried, "now this right here is what'm talkin' about!"

"Mild calibration issues-"

"Lassie…" he sighed, placing a meaty hand on my shoulder, "If ye ever want ta get out there and fight dragons ye need ta stop all…this" he gestured with his prosthetic.

"You just gestured to all of me!"

He gave my shoulder a rough pat, the equivalent of a love tap to him, nodding as he said: "Yes, tha's it! Stop being all'a ye."

I nodded slowly, sarcastically, "Oh I see what you're doing, but beware! It isn't good to keep this much raw vikingness contained! You'll regret it!"

"I'll take my chances lass" he said, "rather have ye cooped up in here then out there runnin' about, don' much feel like hearin' another lecture from yer old man bout' not keepin' an eye on ye."

Grabbing a sword from the table he tossed it to me, "Sword, sharpen, now."

Huffing indignantly I did as he said but the dull piece of metal only held my attention for a few moments as the familiar cry of "Night Fury!" rang out just outside the window. My head shot up in time to watch one of the high rise catapults be destroyed. I was so taken with the sight as the invisible beast came back for seconds that I didn't even notice that the sword was fully sharpened until the familiar thud of Gobber's prosthetic hitting the floor shook me from my reverie.

"Stay an' man the fort Hiccup, they need me out there" he said, adjusting the axe on his arm before staggering toward the door. He stopped just at the threshold, eyes shifting back and forth almost nervously before he finally said: "Uh, stay…put…there. You know wha' I mean!"

Letting out a battle cry he hobbled out the door and took off into the blazing night.

Every once-in-a-while I think that Gobber does this sort of thing on purpose. Despite how often he complains about the scolding's my dad gives him for not 'keepin' an eye on me' he still gives me enough leeway to do as I please most of the time. I realize it isn't really his job to watch me – or maybe it is considering that it was my dad who originally started me with my work in the forge – and he's mostly just joking about it, but running off and expecting me to stay put? Not likely.

With that in mind I bolted to the back of the shop, wrapping my hands around the handle of my bola launcher and racing out the door, ignoring the forming line of startled Vikings waiting to have their weapons sharpened. It's not like there's any shortage of weapons in the village anyway and if Gobber can afford to go out so can I.

I maneuvered around several running Vikings, all of whom had to jerk out of the way to keep from trampling me as I made my way up to one of the cliff overhangs. There were a few confused shouts and the standard "Hiccup! What are you doin' out here?" but I ignored them all and eventually made it to the launch site, perfectly situated in view of one of the undamaged high rise catapults.

"C'mon, c'mon" I muttered, flipping my bola launcher open and staring at the darkened sky, "give me something to shoot at…give me something to shoot at…"

There was a long moment of silence before the familiar screech reached my ears, followed by a plume of blue fire that set the high rise catapult ablaze. For a brief moment I caught sight of a black shadow against the backdrop of the fire and I hastened to follow the shape with my bola launcher before pulling the trigger. The recoil sent me tumbling backwards but I was still able to see as a dark shape, barely distinguishable against the stars, was struck and sent tumbling in the direction of Ravens Point with a fractured screech of surprise.

A wide smile took over my face and I sprang to my feet, pumping my fist in the air and jumping around wildly in joy. "Did anyone see that?" I shouted excitedly, too preoccupied with my celebration to notice the Monstrous Nightmare climbing up the cliff face toward me.

It was the crunch of my bola cannon under its foot that alerted me to its presence and my smile died on my lips. "No one except you apparently" I said dryly right before the thing lunged.

Letting out a scream I dove to the side, missing the initial attack and causing the Nightmare to face plant into the boulder behind me. Taking advantage of its confusion I scrambled to my feet and took off toward the village. I stumbled more than once and nearly tripped over my own feet when I took a hard corner.

"Look out!" someone cried.

The next thing I knew I was tackled to the ground, just in time to avoid the Nightmare's jaws. I was surprised to find Aster Hofferson leaning over me, his hands holding tight to my shoulders and his blonde braid brushing my cheek. Against my will heat rose to my face. Luckily Aster didn't notice as he sprang back to his feet, unclasping the axe strapped to his back and holding it in front of him as the Nightmare turned to face us.

I scrambled backwards and hooked my hand on the barrel behind me, using it to rise shakily to my feet. The scaly creature weaved back and forth almost hypnotically, not taking its eyes off Aster while he faced off against it. With a roar it charged and the blonde boy tensed, it was just barely a foot out of striking range when my dad came tearing onto the scene, delivering a hard right hook to the side of the creatures jaw.

It cried out and recoiled, growling at the new enemy. The Nightmare's eyes flickered back and forth between Aster and my dad, obviously trying to judge if the fight was winnable. Evidently it had decided to the contrary and roared loudly in all our faces before turning and taking off, but not before it set fire to the closest pillar, making the fire pit that had been suspended on top collapse along with it.

The thing toppled, scattering burning coals over the wooden trail leading further into the village and nearly hitting me as it went down. Jerking to the side I slapped at the fire that had caught my sleeve, somehow managing to both save my shirt and keep from getting burned too badly.

At the same time the coals startled a group of men holding a net full of Nadders down below, making them reel back and allowing the dragons to make off with the sheep they had been defending. I couldn't quite suppress a cringe as I watched, still brushing the ashes off my sleeve. Hardly a second later my dad was in front of me, grabbing me by the forearm and hauling me away. He stopped briefly to regard Aster, who had relaxed from his battle stance and was holstering his axe.

"I thank ye for yer assistance" Stoick said simply, inclining his head to the younger man.

Aster nodded solemnly and followed as my dad dragged me to the center of the village where everyone was gathering to take stock of the damage.

"What were ye thinkin' Hiccup!" he shouted, jerking me around to face him before releasing my arm.

I rubbed at it absently as I straightened and met my father's angry glare. "I can't help it dad! I see a dragon and I just have to kill it y'know?" was my answer.

He sighed and lifted a hand to rub his forehead, an act of pure disappointment that never failed to make me feel like I was two inches tall and shrinking by the second. "Ye're many things Hiccup but a dragon killer yer not."

"But I actually did hit something with my bola cannon! A Night Fury! You all were busy and I had a clear shot-"

Stoick held out his hand to stop me, not taking the other off his forehead as he gestured for Gobber to come over. Turning to face his oldest friend he pointed to me, "Get her home, I've got her mess to clean up."

Deflated I allowed Gobber to place a gentle hand on my shoulder and begin to guide me home with a whispered: "C'mon lassie."

We passed the teens as we walked. Aster had rejoined the group and was sitting atop a barrel polishing his axe, barely giving me a glance when we went by. Fishlegs just stood there and said nothing while Ruff and Tuff sneered, the former laughing uncontrollably while the latter shook his head.

"Quite the performance" Tuffnut complimented sarcastically. If I were in a less embarrassing position I might've marveled at the fact that he could actually use sarcasm. Instead I just hung my head and tried to pretend that I didn't feel the heat rising to my cheeks.

"I've never seen someone mess up that badly!" Snotlout cried out, a huge grin on his face as he leaned in close.

"Thank you, thank you, I tried!" I replied, making sure that my voice didn't crack as I spoke.

I couldn't even find it in myself to think it was funny when Gobber shoved Snotlout over as we passed.

We were halfway home and, by my judgement, perfectly alone before I started talking. "He never listens!" I said, kicking a small stone in my path, "I really did hit one!"

"Sure ye did lassie" Gobber replied, gently nudging me forward to make sure I was still moving.

"Whenever he does listen it's always with this disappointed scowl, like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich."

We reached the front stoop and I pretended to hike up my belt, "Excuse me barmaid, I'm afraid ye brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra-large girl with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fishbone!"

"Yer thinking about it all wrong lass" Gobber said, placing a hand on my shoulder, "It's not so much wha' ye look like, its wha's inside tha' he can't stand."

Blinking hard I gave my mentor a long stare before brushing his meaty hand off my shoulder. "Thanks so much for summing that up" I said, turning to open the front door.

"Look" Gobber sighed, making me twist my head around to face him again, "the point is, stop tryin' ta be somethin' yer not."

"I just want to be like you guys!" I said flinging the door open and letting it slam behind me.

The telltale burning was already beginning behind my eyeballs when the door shut and I frantically rubbed at them to keep the tears at bay. My dad would be busy in the village all day trying to repair the damage the raid had caused so it wasn't like there was anyone there to walk in on me while I composed myself. It took a few minutes and a couple thousand deep breaths before I snagged my sketchbook from the loft and bolted out the back door.

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The rough sketch I'd drawn of my search area was half covered with X marks before I finally got frustrated and scribbled over the page, snapping the book shut with a sigh. In further aggravation I shoved one of the branches in front of me, making it snap back in my face. I yelped and clutched my nose, spotting the disturbed underbrush over my clenched hands.

Slowly releasing the injury and ducking under a branch I fingered some snapped limbs, my eyes following the long gouge in the earth that formed a perfect trail over the next mound. I dropped into the crater and carefully made my way over, crouching down to peer over the crest of the hill.

The sight of a black body made me gasp and duck down, squeezing my eyes shut in expectation of an attack. When none came I blinked and peered over again, inhaling a deep breath before fumbling for my knife. Shaken but still determined I slid down the other side of the hill and behind a small boulder, crouching for a tense moment before I gathered enough courage to take another peek.

It wasn't moving so I lowered the knife and came out of my hiding place.

"Oh...oh wow. I did it" I said in disbelief, then more confidently, "I did it!"

I walked up to the creature, placing my hands on my hips with one foot on its head, "I have brought down this mighty be-"

The thing shifted under my step and I jerked back with a cry, nearly falling backward as I stumbled. Hastily raising my knife I approached again, not nearly as close this time. With a few grunts and huffs a pair of big green eyes opened to peer at me from where it was lying on its side. I sucked in a breath before gulping down the lump in my throat and raising the knife in an attempt to harden my resolve.

"I'm going to kill you dragon" I said breathily, "and bring your head back to my father. I'm a Viking. I'm a Viking!"

Raising the blade over my head I froze. Both my eyes had closed and I hesitantly cracked one open, seeing that the dragons large green orbs had also slid closed in what appeared to be resignation. My arms fell to my sides and I deflated with a sigh, shoulders slumping.

"I did this…" I whispered, feeling a sudden stab of guilt.

The dragon was smaller than a Nightmare, Nadder, and Zippleback. It was clearly made for speed rather than power, which was obvious from its aerodynamically designed body. The scales were black as night, perfect for camouflage. They actually matched quite well with its eyes…

With a frustrated huff I dropped to my knees and started sawing at the ropes, hardly aware of what I was doing as I quickly worked to free the trapped creature. The moment it was loose it sprang to its feet. I tried to scramble away but only got a few inches before its paw was on my chest, claws mere inches from my throat. Gasping like a fish out of water my eyes widened, meeting entrancing green orbs fitted with slit pupils. It stared at me for a few silent moments before spreading its wings, opening its mouth, and roaring in my face. Then it turned and disappeared through the bushes.

One hand rose to my chest, rising and falling with my rapid breathing while the other was slack around the handle of my knife. After a few more deep breaths I rose on shaky legs and made it half way around the boulder that the dragon had pinned me to before the dark spots appeared in my vision and blotted everything else out. I didn't even feel myself hit the ground.

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I made it home hours later to find my dad stoking the fire. He had his back to me and I attempted to sneak past him and up to the loft, it was doubtful that he'd checked up on me when he'd gotten home so maybe if I made it upstairs before he noticed-

"Hiccup" he said, stopping me halfway up the stairs.

"Dad" I said, sighing before making my way back down, "I have to uh…talk to you dad…"

"I need to speak with ye as well" he sighed, wringing his hands together in front of him.

He took a deep breath, "I think it's time ye learned how ta fight dragons"

"-don't want to fight dragons."

"Wait, what?" we both echoed.

"Eh, ye first" he said, gesturing for me to continue.

"No, no you…" I said softly, moving from the base of the stairs to stand directly in front of him.

"Alright" he sighed, briefly averting his eyes and wringing his hands together again, "ye got yer wish, dragon training, ye start in the morning."

"Oh I should have gone first" I said, running my hand through my cropped brown locks nervously, "cause' y'know…uh…we have a surplus of dragon fighting Vikings but do we have enough bread making Vikings or, or home repair Vikings-"

Stoick took both my hands in his one meaty palm, running a sausage sized finger over the burn on my wrist. I'd nearly forgotten that it was there. "Did ye go see the Goethi for this?" he asked.

"I didn't really have time…"

Wordlessly he dropped the axe he'd been holding in his other hand and reached for the overstuffed sack he'd left on the floor, grabbing a jar of salve and some clean bandages. More gently than most would consider possible he spread the cool blend across the burn and secured it with the bandage, checking over his work twice before he deemed it satisfactory.

He dropped my hand and reached for the axe again.

"Ye'll need this for dragon training" Stoick said, hefting the heavy thing into my arms.

"Dad I…don't wanna' fight dragons" I said, shrinking further into myself at the blunt admission. How the Hel had he managed to go from stern father to caring papa bear and back again in less than a minute?

He chuckled, "Oh c'mon, yes ye do."

"Okay let me rephrase…I can't kill dragons!"

"But ye will kill dragons" he insisted.

"No…I'm really, very, extra sure that I won't."

"It's time Hiccup" he said, turning from where he'd wandered back toward the fire to face me once again.

"Can you not hear me?" I asked.

"This is serious lass" he said strongly, "when ye carry this axe-" he took it out of my hands and forced me to grab the handle again to emphasize his point, "-ye carry all of us with ye. That means ye walk like us, ye talk like us, and ye think like us."

My lips thinned, gaze straying from him to the axe then back again. "No more of…" he trailed off for a moment before continuing, "…this."

"You just gestured to all of me" I said with an exasperated eye roll.

"Deal?"

"This conversation is feeling very one-sided."

"Deal!?" he pressed.

I averted my eyes again, feeling anger and irritation burn hot in my chest as I whispered lowly: "…deal."

He hefted his satchel over one shoulder with a curt "good" in reply before grabbing his helmet and heading for the door. "Train hard, make sure to keep clean bandages on that burn and go see the Goethi if you get hurt, I'll be back, probably."

"And I'll be here…maybe" I said, the axe feeling unbearably heavy in my hands as I watched his bulk disappear through the front door.

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The next morning I woke up late after a long, sleepless night and managed to make it into the arena just as class was about to start.

"I hope I get some serious burns" Tuffnut said.

"I'm hoping for some mauling, like, maybe on my shoulder or lower back" Ruffnut put in.

"Yea, its only fun if you get a scar out of it" Aster agreed.

I skidded to a halt behind them and put in: "No kidding right, pain, love it."

Everyone made a face while Tuffnut rolled his eyes and said: "Oh great, who let her in here."

"Let's get started!" Gobber called, "the recruit o' does best will earn the honor of killing is' first dragon in front o' the entire village."

"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury so does that disqualify her or…" Snotlout said, receiving a high five from Tuff while Ruff let out another bark of laughter.

"Don't worry" Gobber said as they all turned to walk away, "yer small and weak, that'll make ye less'a a target. They'll see ye as psycho insane and go after the more Viking like teens instead."

With what was probably meant as a comforting pat on the shoulder Gobber left me to go stand in front of the class, who had all gathered near the pens. I hiked the axe dad had given me further up my shoulder and took my place next to Fishlegs. I may not be on overly excellent terms with the large boy but he doesn't make fun of me like Snotlout and the twins do. If I were to stand next to Aster, who I'm pretty sure doesn't want me anywhere near him anyway, I would probably only get in his way and be more than a little distracted having him next to me in the first place.

So I smiled shyly at the beefy blonde Viking, who hesitantly returned the meager greeting before we both turned our attention back to Gobber.

"Now behind these doors are just a few'a the many species you will learn ta fight" the smith said, walking the line of cage doors and gesturing at each in turn as he passed it.

"The Deadly Nadder" Gobber began.

"Speed eight, armor sixteen" Fishlegs said.

"The Hideous Zippleback"

"Plus eleven stealth times two"

"The Monstrous Nightmare"

"Firepower fifteen"

"The Terrible Terror"

"Attack eight venom twelve"

"Can ye stop tha'!" Gobber shouted, echoing my own thoughts as every eye in the crowd shifted to Fishlegs.

"And-" Gobber drew out, hand moving to the cage lever, "The Gronkle."

"Jaw strength eight" Fishlegs whispered to me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait" Snotlout said, stepping out of line, "aren't you gonna' teach us first?"

The smith merely smiled, "I believe in learnin' on the job."

He yanked his hand down, releasing the Gronkle and sending us all scattering. "Today is about survival" he continued, "if ye get blasted, yer dead."

The Gronkle crashed into the side of the arena and scrambled to its feet, spotting the rocks in the corner and making a beeline for them.

"Quick wha's the first thing yer gon' need?" our teacher called.

"A doctor" I shouted.

"Plus five speed!" Fishlegs tried.

"A shield!" Aster said.

"Shield!" Gobber confirmed, "go!"

He gestured to the pile of weapons lying near one side of the ring. We all ran for them.

"Yer most important piece'a equipment is yer shield, if ye have ta choose between a sword or a shield, take the shield" Gobber said, walking over and hefting the heavy piece of equipment onto my arm before nudging me toward the action.

I could vaguely make out Ruff and Tuff fighting over something in the background but most of my attention was focused on the Gronkle, who was chasing Fishlegs around the arena.

"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, yer out!" Gobber called, "those shields are good for another thing too, noise, make lots'a it ta throw off a dragons aim."

Standing behind Aster and Snotlout I followed their lead and started banging my axe against the shield I'd chosen. The dragon reacted almost instantly, blinking its huge yellow eyes and shaking its head back and forth.

"All dragons have a limited number'a shots, how many does a Gronkle have?"

"Five?" Snotlout called.

"No six!" Fishlegs replied, lifting his shield triumphantly as Gobber declared his answer to be correct. With his back to the dragon he made a perfect target and the creature fired one of its remaining blasts, somehow smoking the shield and leaving Fishlegs himself intact.

"Fishlegs out" the smith cried as the large teen ran for the arena edge.

I had crouched behind some stacked wooden planks for shelter, not quite trusting myself to avoid being barbequed. On Gobber's orders I attempted to scuttle out from behind my hiding place but a fire blast to my left startled me enough to rush back to safety.

Over the top of my shield I could see Aster and Snotlout standing together near the center of the ring. Lout was predictably unfocused, grinning and shooting glances at Aster, probably proud to be fighting next to the village prodigy. The Gronkle swooped down toward them and Aster summersaulted out of the way, rolling back to his feet out of the dragons range.

Snotlout, however, wasn't so lucky and barely managed to raise his shield in time to block the Gronkles fire.

"Snotlout out."

With the dragon's attention temporarily off me I had managed to sneak out of my hiding place, coincidentally close to where Aster had landed. I sent him a shy glance from the corner of my eye and cleared my throat, "I guess it's just you and me huh?"

"Nope, just you" he answered, diving out of the way as the Gronkle shot another blast toward us.

I yelped and brought my shield up to defend myself, deflecting the blast but losing my grip on the shield in the process. It rolled across the arena floor and I chased after it, only vaguely hearing Gobber's call of "One shot left!"

Seeing the Gronkle coming out of the corner of my eye I abandoned the shield and started running, unluckily heading straight into the arena wall. My back hit the metal as the dragon leaned in, making me turn my head to the side when it opened its jaws, waiting for the inevitable blast.

It exploded over my head and I hastened to throw my arms up to ward off the embers that rained down over me, hesitantly cracking an eye open to see Gobber dragging the creature away with his iron hook prosthetic. "And tha's six" the smith grunted, struggling with the portly thing, "go back ta bed ye overgrown sausage!" he shouted, shoving it into the cage and slamming the door.

"Remember a dragon will always, _always_ go for the kill" Gobber said, staring pointedly at me as he walked toward the arena entrance.

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"So why didn't you?" I wondered later, fingering what remained of the bola I'd cut yesterday.

Sitting back on my haunches I chewed on my bottom lip in contemplation while staring in the direction the dragon had flown. Natural curiosity got the better of me and I stood to follow the trail of broken branches, mentally berating myself for even doing this. That creature would be long gone by now anyway. But even knowing this I trekked along, determined to see this thing through despite how futile it might be.

The path was a straight shot through a collection of trees and between a pair of boulders. I ducked under a tree root lodged between the two rocks and was surprised to find a hidden cove. It had probably been a body of water at some point given the layers of color on the eroded stone walls. The small lake taking up half the cove and sunken, uprooted tree only seemed to reinforce this theory.

Raising a brow I stopped to take in the beauty of the area before my shoulders slumped. No Night Fury. Plopping down on a small boulder I let my elbows rest on my knees, my hands supporting my chin. Some part of my mind urged me to backtrack and circle around the cove, insisting that the dragon must've flown overhead and was probably somewhere on the other side. The other more logical part questioned if I was determined enough to trek to the opposite beach just to see this thing through, undoubtedly where I would end up if I kept going.

While I was weighing the merits of simply returning to the village something caught my eye. Turning I was surprised to see a trail of black scales leading over the edge and down the sheer drop into the cove. Sliding off the boulder I knelt down to pick one up, examining it in the sunlight before being startled half to death by a sudden crash to my right.

I recoiled and focused on the shape, quickly realizing that it was the Night Fury. Its claws scraped against the wall almost frantically for a few moments before it lost its grip and slid back down, fanning its wings and landing easily on the ground. I dropped down and peered over the cliff's edge, watching as the beast shook its huge head and huffed in what almost seemed to be aggravation.

Black wings spread once again, flapping quickly in an attempt to get airborne. Five feet from the closest wall it started to falter and was forced to glide back down, only remaining there for a few short seconds as it took off with a running start. Suddenly remembering that I'd grabbed my sketch book I fumbled for it and a charcoal pencil, both of which I kept in the lining of my vest.

My gaze slid back and forth from the dragon to my book as I opened it to a fresh page and started drawing. While I worked I watched the Fury repeatedly try and fail to take flight. Cocking my head to the side curiously I whispered: "Why don't you just…fly away?"

Looking back at my drawing I realized there was something wrong. With the edge of my sleeve I wiped away one of the tailfins, smudging the ink over the paper.

"Is that why you can't fly?" I questioned, leaning further over the cliff's edge to try and get a better look.

In the process I lost my grip on the charcoal pencil. My hand shot out in an attempt to grab it but the thing was already clattering down the sheer drop of the cliff face. I froze as the dragon looked up from its attempt to nab a few of the fish swimming in the small lake, big green eyes locking onto mine as it too froze where it stood. We maintained eye contact and I watched as the flaps on the sides of its head twitched with my small movements.

I can't get over how mesmerizing its eyes are…big and green with narrowed pupils in the center. Kind of like the descriptions I've heard about the furry creatures that some easterners keep as pets, cats they call them. A few people claim to have seen them on the trade ships that port at the docks occasionally but no one ever buys one, can't take Berk winters they say. No food to spare for them either.

Head cocked to one side I continued staring even as I stood and slowly felt my way back out of the cove, waiting until I could no longer see the dragon before turning and making my way back to the village.

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I made it to the mead hall later on in the night, once again arriving just in time to catch the tail end of a conversation.

"-mistimed my summersault dive, it was sloppy and threw off my reverse tumble" I heard Aster say as I crossed the room and approached the table.

"Yea, we noticed" Ruffnut said with obvious sarcasm.

Huh, so it wasn't just Tuffnut who could use sarcasm.

"No don't" Snotlout protested, obviously sucking up, "you were great, that was so Aster."

I was close enough to see the twins and Aster roll their eyes while Gobber said: "He's right, ye have ta be tough on yerselves."

I walked up to the table and picked up a slab of meat resting on the edge. Snotlout scooted down the bench toward me, obviously trying to make sure that there was no space. Not that I would have actually considered sitting next to him anyway, he would have just poked fun at me the entire time, purposely elbowing me in the ribs, shoving food in my hair and pulling it when he thought I wasn't looking. The tactics he'd used when we were little probably hadn't changed too much.

"Where'd Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber asked as I circled around Lout and Legs, snagging a cup while Snotlout slid back down to the other end of the table. Fishlegs shot me a smile as I passed him and despite my damper mood I returned it before taking a seat the next table over.

"Uh, she showed up?" Ruffnut said.

"She didn't get eaten?" Tuff put in.

Aster rolled his eyes at them both, "She's never where she should be."

"Thank ye Aster!" Gobber said, "ye need ta live and breathe this stuff."

The smith strolled around the table, thumping both Ruff and Tuff as he passed before slamming a book in front of them. "The Dragon Manual, everythin' we know about every dragon we know'a."

From the corner of my eye I watched as Gobber lifted his head and took note of the thunder outside the hall, "No attacks t'night, hurry up" he said before exiting the hall.

"Wait" Tuff said, "you mean read?"

"While we're still alive?" Ruff continued.

Gee they make that sound like a fate worse than death or something.

"Why read words when you can just kill the things the words tell you stuff about?" Snotlout questioned.

"Oh, oh" Fishlegs said excitedly, "I've read it like seven times! There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face and there's this other one who buries itself for like a week-"

"Yea, yea, yea, okay" Tuff interrupted, "there was a chance I was gonna' read that-"

"-but now…" Ruff finished.

"You guys read, I'll go kill stuff" Snotlout said, standing from his seat and heading for the hall doors. Ruff and Tuff got up to follow while Legs knocked the bench over to hurry after them.

Standing up I walked over to the table, "So…I guess we'll share-"

"Read it" Aster said, shoving the book across the table toward me before heading for the door.

"Wow, all mine now. Gee…uh I guess I'll see you-" the door slammed shut, "-tomorrow..."

Sighing deeply I grabbed the book and took it back to my table, nibbling on my meal as I flipped the front cover open.

"Geez…what's so wrong about reading?" Fishlegs grumbled, obviously having given up trying to convince Snotlout to the contrary as he plopped down opposite me at the table.

"I dunno' Fishlegs maybe it just isn't their thing" I said, already glancing over the first page.

His head had been propped up by his hands but he shifted to lean on one while the other gestured to the book, "I know that, but do they have to bag on the Manual? I mean they treat it like it isn't important. Information is just as useful as muscle, maybe even more because without information you wouldn't even know where to apply the force in a fight!"

He threw his arms up in exasperation before taking a swig of the cup I hadn't realized he'd brought from the other table. My shoulders rose and fell in a halfhearted shrug as I flipped the page again, only part of my attention on the book as I listened to Fish's woes.

He let out a deep sigh before sliding the cup to the other side of the table and standing, managing to only slide the bench back and not knock it over this time. "Well I guess I'm gonna' head home then, see you at dragon training tomorrow Hiccup. Try checking out the Whispering Death and Scauldron in that book, they're interesting."

He gave a small wave before tromping to the doors, letting a torrent of rain drench the floor before it slammed behind him. I raised a brow, briefly wondering why he'd stayed to talk when we didn't really know each other before realizing that it didn't matter very much. Fishlegs was always a lot nicer than the others, even my crush Aster, with no one else around it won't ruin his rep to be seen with me.

Sighing deeply I returned my attention to the book, "Okay, dragon classifications, Strike class, Mystery class, Fear class."

There was the Thunderdrum, reclusive, inhabiting sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight.

The Timberjack, gigantic with razor sharp wings that can cut through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight.

Scauldron, sprays scalding hot water at its victim. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight.

There was a clap of thunder and I whipped around with a startled cry, watching one of the hall doors fly open and bang against the wall. If I wasn't aware of how badly those doors needed to be fixed I might've suspected that someone…or something, had managed to get in. Not wanting to dwell on that thought for too long I shook my head and turned my attention back to the book.

Changewing, even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight.

Gronkle.

Zippleback.

The Skrill.

Boneknapper.

Whispering Death.

Burns its victims.

Buries its victims.

Chokes its victims.

Turns its victims inside out.

Extremely dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

Kill on sight.

Kill on sight.

Kill on sight.

After flipping through half the book I came to the last page with ink on it.

The Night Fury.

There wasn't an illustration to go along with the words printed at the top of the page, pretty much the entire thing was blank. For some reason that made it more ominous than anything else in the book. My fingertips skimmed the stats written at the bottom, the only thing there beside the title.

Speed Unknown.

Size Unknown.

The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.

Never engage this dragon, your only chance is to hide and pray that it does not find you.

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The next day we trained with the Deadly Nadder. I'm not sure how Gobber managed it but he'd set up a maze of walls that the Nadder was using as footholds to try and roast us from above. While the other teens ran around like chickens with their heads cut off I stood near one of the walls, trying to catch my mentor's eye from where he was leaning against the chains that created the arena dome.

"So I noticed that the book didn't have much on Night Furies and I was wondering is there like a second book? Maybe a Night Fury pamphlet or something?"

I had been using my shield and axe to gesture along with my arms as I talked. The weapon had actually become much easier to wield in the past few days, though that didn't really matter now as the Nadder shot the blade off. I let out a startled cry and jerked back but amazingly kept ahold of the handle, staring at the smoking end in shock.

"Focus Hiccup!" Gobber called, "yer not even tryin'."

The Nadder dropped down into the stretch of maze directly in front of me and charged. Without too much thought I turned and ran down another path only to be followed by the dragon, which hopped up onto the maze walls and continued in pursuit.

"T'day is all about attack" Gobber called, putting emphasis on the last word, "Nadders're quick and light on their feet, yer job is ta be quicker and lighter."

The Nadder disappeared and I huffed a few breaths, making sure to look left and right to be certain that it was truly gone before making my way back to Gobber. There was a screech somewhere off to the right, probably someone else catching the dragons attention.

"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" Fishlegs shouted a ways off.

Hiccup couldn't quite suppress a smile at that. Gobber would probably never revise those methods, he'd employed something similar when training her in the forge though she suspected that he'd gone a bit easy on her given that she'd been barely waist high when he'd officially taken her as his apprentice.

"Look for its blind spot!" Gobber called out.

I glanced behind me and took note of the Nadder heading my way again. Not wanting to lose my head the same way I'd lost my weapon I took off running, passing the twins as I went.

"Every dragon has one, find it, hide in it, and strike."

Rounding a few more corners I almost smashed right into Aster, who was lying in wait behind a sharp bend with Snotlout standing behind him. My cousin sneered when he saw me, "Still here Hiccup? Why don't you leave it to the real Vikings?"

"Who else would the dragon use to pick your hide out of its teeth" I muttered automatically.

Surprisingly Aster chuckled. It was only for a brief moment and probably could have been mistaken for a cough, either that or it was a cough that I'd mistaken for a laugh. But by the time I'd turned his face was back to the neutral expression he always wore. If it weren't for the strange look Snotlout was sending him I might've convinced myself that I'd imagined the whole thing.

Fortunately for me Aster's unwilling intervention kept Snotlout from replying if he'd actually managed to hear my comeback. Soon enough we were all dashing around corners to avoid the Nadder, which had finished with the Thorston twins and decided to come after the rest of us again.

It was while we were running that I noticed Gobber still leaning against the chain links of the dome and skidded to a stop. "So how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" I asked.

My mentor's hand came up to rub his forehead and for a moment I imagined that it was my father standing over me, that familiar look of exhausted disappointment on his face as he tried to massage the ache out of his head. Then I blinked and it was gone, just Gobber looking slightly aggravated with me for not paying attention.

"No one's ever met one and lived ta tell the tale. Now get in there!" he shouted.

Knowing from years of experience that Gobber was past the point of argument I took a few steps back but refused to give up the discussion. "I know, I know but hypothetically…"

There was movement out of the corner of my eye and I turned to find Aster and Snotlout crouching next to a wall, clearly trying to sneak up on the beast. They barely spared me a glace except to shoot me a hard glare warning me to be quiet, which I was.

Aster led the way, peering around the corner to make sure that the Nadder was distracted before summersaulting across the gap. Snotlout followed and I attempted to copy them only to fail and collapse halfway through. The clang of my shield against the ground alerted the dragon to my presence and I cried out as it made a beeline for me, scrambling to my feet and sprinting down the same way Snotlout and Aster had gone.

The Nadder disappeared and I skidded to a stop again, trying to catch my breath while glancing nervously back and forth in expectation of an attack. Aster came tearing down the path directly in front of me with Snotlout right behind him, rambling about something or other before turning off on one of the side corners. Aster kept going straight, forcing me to duck to avoid both his sharp turn and the Nadder, who practically barreled into the wall in an attempt to follow him.

As a result all the maze walls started tumbling down but I wasn't paying too much attention to that, moving back over to where Gobber was relaxing and attempting to get a bit more information.

"H-has anyone ever seen one napping?" I asked, ignoring the twins and Fishlegs as they nearly knocked me over running past.

"Hiccup!" Gobber shouted half in warning half in irritation.

I whirled around just in time to see Aster vault over one of the walls, shouting as he attempted to keep his balance before hopping to another.

"Hiccup!" Aster shouted as he dove my way, the Nadder following close behind.

He landed on top of me, his axe getting stuck in my shield, while the dragon missed us by an inch. Aster struggled to pull his weapon from my shield and for a second I became aware of the twins standing a ways off.

"Oh, love on the battlefield" Tuffnut drawled.

"He could do better" Ruffnut replied.

Always nice when someone says the truth you know but don't really want to hear spoken out loud, especially so bluntly.

The next thing I knew Aster's hand was on my chest, making me flush to the roots of my hair as he finally retched the shield, still stuck in his axe, from my arm and sprang to his feet. A single swing later and the Nadder was limping off with an almost pitiful whine, most of the shield decimated from the contact though there was still a sizable chunk of wood stuck to one of the blades.

"Well done Aster" Gobber called.

I was still lying on the ground in semi-shock when he whirled on me, clutching his axe in one hand. "Is this some kind of a joke to you?" he demanded, "our parent's war is about to become ours, figure out which side you're on."

The blonde looked like he was about to spin on his heel and walk away but checked himself at the last second. Conflict shown on his normally impassive face, but it disappeared and he turned to go, followed by the others. They didn't fail to give me a few scowls and head shakes of their own as they left.

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I returned to the cove later that day, moving to the entrance with a shield in one hand and an islandic cod in the other. Peering over my only source of defense and confirming that the Night Fury wasn't in immediate striking distance I tossed the fish through the opening and onto the ground.

I'm not quite sure what I expected, maybe for the creature to suddenly spring out of nowhere and tear the food apart. It had seemed pretty hungry when I'd been observing it yesterday. Curious with the lack of response I moved to enter the cove only for my shield to get jammed between the rocks. I tried to shove it through, which didn't work, before hopping over and making a halfhearted attempt to pull it lose.

Unsurprisingly that failed as well.

So I walked over to the fish and picked it up by the gills, making my way further into the seemingly vacant cove. I kept looking back and forth, skittishly trying to make sure that I wasn't about to be mauled to death. Didn't take long to spot to dragon crouched over a huge rocky outcropping two dozen feet away and I visibly started.

The long black body slid over the lip of the ledge and silently hit the ground, sniffing at the air and lowering itself into a defensive crouch. Warily I held out the fish. Big green eyes blinked at me before the large creature took a step forward. It recoiled just as quickly, snarling as its eyes narrowed on my belt.

I lifted the arm holding the fish higher and realized that it was looking at my dagger, which I reached for, only to pause when it let out a low growl.

"No, no, no, no" I said, taking the weapon between two fingers and dropping it on the ground. The dragon still didn't look convinced so I lifted it with the toe of my boot and tossed it into the lake. Green eyes followed the glinting piece of metal until it sunk below the surface then, to my eternal surprise, the creature sat back in the very picture of relaxation.

A bit more confidently I offered the fish.

The approach was slow, with the dragon angling its body sideways as if preparing for a quick take off. It moved one back leg forward then shuffled with its front legs in a bizarre inching maneuver that was probably meant to be cautious. Toothless jaws open when it finally got close enough to accept the treat.

"Huh, toothless?" I say, my brows drawing together as I examine the close up view of its gummy mouth, "I could have sworn you had-"

Two rows of sharp teeth snap out of its gums and it lunges for the fish, snatching it out of my hands before I have time to utter so much as a surprised squeak. I yank both hands back and cradle them against my chest. "…teeth" I finish.

The dragon licks its chops before focusing back on me and slithering closer. I scuttle backward, stumbling over my own feet and eventually falling against a boulder as it shoves its nose in my face. "I-I don't have anymore" I blurt out, closing my eyes and pressing myself even closer to the rock.

The Fury takes a few deep whiffs before pulling back and I crack an eye open long enough to see it start to sniffle and spasm, regurgitating half the fish I just gave it into my lap. My nose scrunches as I stare at the saliva-coated cod. The dragon sits back on its haunches while I stare at what's left of the meal. When I look up those huge green orbs are staring at me again. The pupils move from the fish, to my face, then back again.

Startled my gaze whips to the fish, then to the dragon, and back to the fish, not wanting to believe that it wants me to do what I think it wants me to do. Unfortunately it does, opening its mouth and licking its lips as a form of illustration. Suppressing another cringe I wrap my hands around the slimy meal and bring it closer to my face, shooting another glance at the dragon. It licks its lips again, probably encouraging me to continue.

I raise the tail to my mouth and take a huge bite, the taste of raw meat and dragon spit on my tongue as I attempt to smile through the nasty flavor. The creature phantoms swallowing and I can't help but pull an exasperated face, allowing the cod to drop back into my lap. But I do as it asks, forcing the food past the lump in my throat and shivering when I feel it hit my stomach.

I look at the dragon and smile.

Its mouth starts twitching along the edges, eyes squinting in what looks like concentration as the two ends raise up into a weird dragonesque grin, complete with no teeth. Fascinated and more than a little awed I haul myself onto my knees, still clutching the cod with one hand while the other reaches out toward the dragon. Immediately the gummy smile drops, pupils slitting, as the creature snarls and takes off to the other side of the cove once again.

I abandon the fish and stand to watch as the Fury twists in a circle, charring the ground with its strange blue fire before curling up on the still flaming embers. Curiosity gets the better of me again as I go to sit down near it. Doesn't take long for it to notice me, huffing in what I'll assume is annoyance before sweeping its tail in front of its face.

Unable to resist I shift closer and reach out to stroke the smooth looking black scales. My hand is a foot away before the tail snaps closed, revealing a huge green eye. I spring to my feet and stroll in the other direction, trying to look casual even though I know I'm not fooling it. By the time I dare to glance over my shoulder it's already roosted on top of a protruding tree root, hanging upside down by its tail.

Hours later I find myself sitting on a boulder, not quite bored but without anything to do, so I pick up a stick and start doodling in the sand. Without really thinking about it a head and a pair of huge cat-like eyes are taking shape in front of me. It wasn't until I felt the huff of warm air against the side of my head that I realized the Fury was standing behind me.

Surprisingly I wasn't alarmed and ignored it until I heard a loud tromping and the snap of wood. When I turned around I saw that it'd come back with a tree branch as long as three of me, dragging it along the ground and smacking me in the head with the leafy part before tossing the wood to the side and sitting back to admire its work.

I stood from where I was sitting, studying the lines. There didn't seem to be any apparent pattern to them but it was amazing that the dragon had even tried in the first place. I took a few steps and managed to tread on one of the lines, irritating the creature enough to make it start growling. I froze, eyes moving cautiously to the lines before lifting my foot.

The subsonic sound instantly stopped, narrowed eyes widening into the picture of innocence once again and I couldn't help but smile. Carefully as I could I stepped around the lines, twisting and turning in every direction to miss them and nearly collapsing more than once. It was actually pretty fun, I got so into it that I didn't notice the dragon appear behind me until another gust of heated air ruffled my hair.

I carefully turned to see the creature less than two feet away, close enough to touch, and hesitantly raised my hand up toward its nose. It flinched away from my hand, raising its lip to bare a few teeth in warning. Inspiration struck and I suddenly knew what I had to do.

Lowering my head I closed my eyes, reaching a hand out so that it hovered in front of the dragon. It could choose to touch me, rip my arm off, or do nothing at all. That's the kind of power I'm giving it. A few seconds passed in silence before something smooth and hard pressed against my palm. I hesitantly raised my head and was amazed to see the creature pressing its nose into my hand, big eyes closed.

Seconds later it leaned back, the warmth of its scales leaving me before those huge green eyes opened once again. It snorted, pupils narrowing, before taking off back to the other side of the cove.

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Later that evening I met up with the other trainees for a bonfire. Having been Gobbers apprentice for many years now I'd already heard most of his favorite yarns, in fact I probably knew them almost as well as he did. That's why I wasn't very interested in listening as he described how he lost both his arm and leg. My mind was a thousand miles away, still stuck back at Ravens Point with my new friend.

"-and with one twist he took my hand and swallowed it whole!" Gobber said, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically before dropping them so he could take a bite of the cooked chicken he kept clenched in his good fist.

"I saw the look on is' face, I was delicious, and he must've passed the word because it wasn't a month before another one'a them took my leg" Gobber continued.

Fishlegs released a breathless _wow_ from where he was seated next to me. I kept my eyes on the fire, resting my stick on the edge of the blaze and carefully cooking my cod.

"Wouldn't it be weird to think if your hand was inside a dragon" Fishlegs began, mashing a pair of chicken legs together in illustration, "if your mind was still in control of it, you could have killed the dragon from the inside by crushing its heart or something."

"I swear I'm so angry right now!" Lout spoke up, completely disregarding Fishlegs strange suggestion, "I swear I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot, I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight, with my face."

I suppressed an eye roll. Even with my mind preoccupied by my interaction with Toothless I'd still managed to spare enough attention to hear that. How does one manage to cut anything off with their face? What did he plan to hold an axe between his teeth or try head butting it until the limb fell off?

Gobber made a disapproving sound as he bit into his chicken, "It's the wings and the tails ye really want, if it can't fly it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."

My eyes widened, the statement striking a cord as I remembered Toothless' tail.

The smith stretched his arms above his head, yawning, "Well I'm off ta bed and ye should be too, t'morrow we get ta the big boys…"

Gobber's voice disappeared in the distance as I rounded the corner and made my way to the forge. It wasn't uncommon for me to spend the night in the back room that Gobber allowed me to use as my personal drawing room. Not that anyone would notice if I spent the night there anyway.

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The next morning, bright and early, I made my way down to Toothless' cove. He – yes I have since discovered that my new dragon companion is in fact a he – was waiting for me there, sitting at the far end as I heaved myself and my load over the shield and dropped the basket on the ground with a huff.

"I brought you breakfast Toothless" I said, knocking the basket over with my foot and watching as the contents sloshed out.

"Okay that was disgusting" I said mildly, "but hey look, I got you some salmon, some nice Icelandic cod, and a whole smoked eel."

I had already started to move around Toothless as I spoke, trying to keep out of his way while he approached the basket and started nosing the contents. He recoiled when I mentioned the eel though, baring his teeth and bobbing his head as he spotted it on the pile.

I went forward and pulled the yellow and black body away from the rest. Toothless let out a sound somewhere between a shriek, hiss, and growl, bringing one wing up in apparent defense.

"No, no, no, no" I said, tossing it off to the side, which seemed to calm him enough to approach the pile of fish again. "Yea I don't like eel much either."

While he was distracted by the basket I slowly made my way around him, glancing back every few steps to make sure that he was still preoccupied. Once I was certain that he wouldn't notice I dropped to the ground and struggled with the straps on the prosthetic tailfin. Every time I would get it aligned with Toothless' tail he would shift again, until I eventually got tired of it and straddled the appendage, wrestling with it before finally settling down enough to attach the artificial tailfin.

After I'd gotten it on I sat back to check my work.

"Well it's not too bad…seems to work. Maybe if I added a little-"

Toothless jerked forward with enough force to nearly shake me off and I frantically gripped the base of his tail to keep from tumbling. The ground got smaller below me and somewhere in the back of my terror-filled mind I realized that I was screaming, clutching tighter to Toothless as he started to lose altitude.

I frantically grabbed for the tailfin and forced it open. We shot back into the sky, Raven's Point disappearing below us as Toothless flew out over the ocean. Terror forgotten I laughed out loud and smiled wider than I can remember doing in a long time.

"It works!"

I tilted the fin sharply to the right and was amazed when we circled back around to Raven's Point, gliding easily over the small lake. The excitement didn't last long though next thing I knew I was no longer clinging to Toothless' tail and instead skipping across the water's surface, eventually stopping when I belly flopped at the far end.

Kicking my way to the surface I broke the water with both fists pumped in the air, releasing a victorious _Woohoo!_ and grinning widely at Toothless. He'd crash landed on the opposite side of the lake, paddling to shore while I shouted out my accomplishment. Judging from the annoyed glare he shot me he isn't as exuberant.

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"T'day is about teamwork" Gobber said as the cage opened and a cloud of gas seeped into the arena, "now a wet dragon head can't light its fire, the Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky, one head breathes gas while the other head lights it. Yer job is to know which is which."

I stood back to back with Ruffnut as the mist rolled in. I'm not quite sure why she chose to be paired with me, but the second I entered the training grounds she'd snagged me by the wrist and proclaimed that I would be her partner for the day. I thought I'd heard her mumble something about 'stupid boys' but it doesn't really matter now.

"There!"

Before we could react both of us were drenched. "Hey, it's us you idiots!" Ruffnut shouted.

The fog cleared, revealing Snotlout and Tuffnut holding a pair of empty buckets.

"Your butts are getting bigger, we thought you were a dragon" Tuff said.

Lout laughed, "Naw' it was probably just Hiccup's jugs and huge hips!"

I felt my face heat and tried to subtly pull my fur vest closer in a poor attempt to hide my figure. Much to my surprise Ruff retaliated by throwing her bucket at Lout, striking him clean in the face and sending him tumbling into Tuff. They both landed in a pile on the ground, groaning.

The female half of the Thorston twins snorted, "That'll teach you to mess with girls."

Without warning Tuffnut's eyes went wide and he was pulled into the mist. His shouting cut off a moment later. Snotlout, eyes wide, tried to scramble to his feet, only to be shoved back to the ground and dragged off too.

Ruff and I were back to back again, moving in a slow circle. Without making a sound I tapped her on the shoulder, she glanced back and I smiled, tilting my bucket so that half spilled into her own empty pail. She smiled maniacally in return, which I took to be her form of gratitude.

Another screech cut through the air and I recognized Tuffnut's voice. "I am hurt! I am very much hurt!"

All was quiet again once the male Thorston twin's cries faded. That is until a high-pitched yelp sounded somewhere off to the right and we turned just in time to see Fishlegs run past, followed by one of the heads. Ruffnut raised her bucket to douse it but wasn't fast enough as it disappeared back into the fog. Then our feet were swept out from under us and we landed in a heap on the ground.

Both heads appeared above us and we scrambled to get up, Ruffnut made it to her feet first and started to back away while I was a little slower, stumbling over one of the empty buckets and practically crawling away from the advancing lizard.

I'm not sure how but we ended up outside the cloud of gas, not that it helped much, the dragon was still chasing us. I'm not sure where Ruffnut had gone but I didn't dare take my eyes off the Zippleback to check. One of the mouths opened, gas leaking from between its teeth, while the other jerked as sparks lit up on its tongue.

All four eyes gazed down at me when it jerked forward, vibrating its wings in obvious threat as it prepared to attack. Thinking quickly I reached for my vest, where I still had the smoked eel that Toothless had rejected earlier that morning. Maybe…

"Hiccup!" I heard Gobber call.

But I'd already opened my vest, reveling the eel, and the beast instantly recoiled. The wings dropped and both heads reared back as far as they could go. I got to my feet and the dragon took a step back. "Back!" I cried, making shooing motion with my hands. Surprisingly it did, taking a step back and squawking in alarm while keeping its eyes trained on the fold of my vest.

"Back!" I shouted again, taking a step forward, "now don't make me ask you again!"

The dragon listened, backing up until it was safely back in its cage. I pulled the eel from my vest, "Now think about what you've done."

I tossed the slimy thing in and moved to shut the door, wiping leftover slime off my hands before turning to face everyone else. They all looked absolutely gob smacked and I smiled shyly at their slack-jawed expressions.

"Uh…so I've kinda' got…a thing, yea" I said hastily, already walking toward the arena door. The moment I was out of sight I broke into a dead sprint and didn't stop until I hit Raven's Point.


	2. Chapter 2

I hung out with Toothless until the late hours of the afternoon. Most of that time had been spent doodling in the sand and trying to teach my dragon companion to do the same. He could only manage rudimentary sketches of squiggly shapes but it was a work in progress.

It was shortly after I'd realized that I was trapped in a circle of doodles, Toothless' huge lines with my smaller Night Fury depictions squeezed in-between, that I'd gotten an idea. In the end some of my drawings had to be sacrificed so that I could get out and head back home. To my surprise Toothless had seemed almost mournful of their loss but not as hostile as he'd been when I first stepped on his art.

Now I'm holed up in the forge, avoiding the Mead Hall in an effort to delay the siege of questions that my fellow trainees and mentor probably want to hurl at me. Maybe if I'm lucky they'll write the whole thing off as a hoax.

I hummed absently as I worked, feeling cheerful while reworking the leather that I'd bought from the tanner using money from my perfume sales. I'd been pondering a way to make flying easier on both me and Toothless following that last fiasco, it wasn't quite a solution but a saddle was the best I could come up with for now. The rest would come in time.

I bent over to grab my wooden mallet from under the table, groping for the familiar smooth handle while my mind wandered. Maybe I could attach some kind of trigger to the tailfin? I could pull on a string to release it while we're in the air. Huh, that actually isn't half bad, I think as my hand finally finds the mallet.

"Hiccup?"

I shoot up reflexively, banging my head on the underside of the worktable and sending loose papers scattering. Groaning I allow myself to slide to the floor, clutching the forming goose egg at my hairline. Footsteps from the next room get louder and I hear the door open. Of all the people I expected to walk in Aster Hofferson was definitely not one of them.

"Hiccup? Are you okay?" he asks.

Part of me is grateful when he hesitates at the door, almost like he's unsure if it's alright for him to come in, before finally taking a step over the threshold. The few precious seconds that his pause brought me were used to snap my gaping mouth closed and attempt to control the flush that had formed on my cheeks.

I manage a nod and grip the corner of the worktable, rubbing the sore spot on my head while pulling myself to stand. "I'm fine, just got a little…startled, is all" I laugh awkwardly, inwardly cringing at how pathetic that had sounded. What Viking girl gets startled by someone calling her name? Anyone else would have probably just called back, maybe heaved an axe at the wall in some kind of bizarre reflex. Either of those is a lot better than almost giving yourself a concussion on your own worktable!

"D-did you need something?" I asked.

He unholstered his axe and held it out in front of me, "I'm due for a sharpening."

Nodding I motioned for him to follow before heading back into the forge. I lit the hearth and started stoking the coals, "This will probably take a while to light, you can leave it on that table and I'll hand it back to you tomorrow at dragon training."

I waved a hand in the direction of metal plated table situated off to the side. Aster didn't reply and I looked up from the bellow to see him staring at the overflowing pile of weapons already resting there. "Oh, sorry about that" I said, briefly leaving the fire and sliding past him. I gathered two armfuls and hefted them into the space just under the table, pushing whatever was left off to the side to make room for his axe.

"Are you sure you aren't too busy? I mean all of those need to be fixed too right?"

I brushed passed him and started pumping the bellow again, practically having to throw all my body weight onto it for it to be effective. "Not really, those don't really take that long and the owners didn't specify a time for pickup. Gobber and I usually just split the work when we're both here, a stack that size doesn't even take half a day."

I gave the bellow one more hard shove before checking the coals. They seemed to be simmering nicely so I leaned back to wait. "Can I take a look at your axe for a second?" I asked.

Aster shrugged and handed it over. It was heavy but a lot better than most of the stuff Gobber made me move. I propped it up against a nearby table and held it by the head, examining the blades more closely. There was a patchwork of nicks that needed to be smoothed out, which was hardly uncommon among Viking weapons. Flipping it over I winced upon seeing the huge gouge cutting a vertical line down one side of the blade.

"Where did this come from?" I asked, pointing to the mark.

"I think it was from that day we were training with the Nadder."

I couldn't suppress a wince. Of course, one of the nails from the shield must've nicked the blade. Placing the weapon on the closest surface, which just happened to be a currently vacant anvil, I went back to the fire and pretended to check the embers.

Awkward silence stretched between us before I finally huffed a breath and turned to face him, "Okay…repairs are on the house since it's technically me who's responsible for breaking it in the first place."

Aster cocked a brow, "Are you trying to suck up to me or something?"

I blinked, thrown off by the assessment, "What? No I was just trying to take responsibility for messing up your axe. It's because of that mark that you brought it here right?"

Aster didn't reply, just stood there and stared at me. His blue eyes were searching, almost like he was studying me. It was unnerving. I had just started to fidget under his intense gaze when he shrugged his shoulders and said: "Have it your way," before making his way back to the door.

I watched him go, feeling very small after the whole exchange. He paused in the door and angled himself back toward me, "Hiccup, I uh…y'know what never mind," he said quickly before crossing the threshold and disappearing into the night.

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I pulled an all-nighter fixing Asters axe and completing Toothless' saddle along with the rigging for the tailfin. It would probably be pathetic to admit that I'd spent a lot more time on the axe then had been strictly necessary but I had, which will only reinforce his already stellar opinion of me I'm sure.

Aster has no shortage of secret admirers in the village anyway, not like I could match up against them no matter how high in standing my family is. Hiccup the Useless will never make any man a fitting wife as the saying goes.

Oh thank the Gods I'd found time to go see Toothless this morning. Granted that it had been a trying visit with him not wanting to try on the saddle, the tailfin rigging failing, and us crashing into a field of grass that apparently smells incredible to Night Furies, but it took my mind off everything else for a while.

Now I'm sprinting to the training arena praying that class hasn't started as I try to keep ahold of Aster's axe in my rush. Predictably I'm the last to make it and barely manage to keep from killing myself as I skid to a stop in the middle of the arena.

"Ah Hiccup was wonderin' when ye were gonna' show up" Gobber said.

Both my hands were braced on my knees as I attempted to catch my breath, "S-sorry" I wheezed, "overslept."

"Try not ta let it happen again" Gobber replied before shouting for everyone to fall in line.

I manage to grab Aster just as he made his way over and press the axe into his hands before rushing to take my place next to Fishlegs. The encyclopedia lover gave me an inquisitive look out of the corner of his eye but doesn't say anything as Gobber begins talking.

"T'day ye'll be taken on an old friend" the smith said, already pulling a lever on one of the cages. Snotlout and the twins groaned at the familiar display while Fishlegs still looks like he's severely contemplating Gobber's teaching methods.

The door wasn't even fully open before the Gronkle burst through and we all scattered. "Remember yer trainin' and try ta last as long as ye can with the beast!" their instructor calls from the sidelines.

I stumbled toward the far wall while the dragon went after Fishlegs, who was running around wildly in what can only be described as panic. Spotting a few shields propped up against the wall a couple dozen feet away I made a mad dash for them, but Snotlout and Tuffnut got there first, the former sneering at me as he strapped the shield to his arm.

"Too bad, so sad, little Hiccup, looks like you're going to have to find your own shield" he said mockingly.

I glanced down at the pattern painted on the wooden surface and have to bite down on my lip to keep from smiling, "Yea your right Snotlout, that shield suits you way more than it would me" I said, sticking around just long enough to catch Lout's bewildered expression before taking off.

Somewhere behind me I heard Tuffnut crack up laughing, doubtlessly noticing the bright pink and purple flowers embroidering my cousin's shield. Ruffnut had apparently witnessed the entire thing because she high-fived me with a demented laugh as she passed. I smiled and easily returned it.

Now that all the shields were taken there was only one place to seek cover in the arena, a single wooden stand, probably about three feet thick, in the back of the room. I ran for it, vaguely hearing Gobber pronounce Fishlegs and Tuffnut done somewhere behind me. I made it to the shelter, pressing my back to it and turning to survey what was happening.

Ruffnut had taken up her spear along with a half fried shield and was banging them together to create noise. Unfortunately the creature still had enough coherency to shoot a semi-straight shot. Hot magma splattered at the female Thorston's feet, making her cry out as some got on her leg and ate through the legging.

The break in the noise gave it room to fire another shot, which decimated what was left of her shield and sent her flying backwards. "Ruffnut out!" Gobber called.

Aster charged from across the arena, axe held high. The Gronkle noticed his approached and went after him, ducking down to head butt him in the gut. Aster tried to drop and dodge but wasn't quick enough, allowing one of the dragons rocky bumps to slam into his shoulder. The axe went skidding across the ground while Aster dropped, allowing the Gronkle to breeze past him to a higher altitude.

"Aster out"

The dragon spotted me from the air and made a dive my way. Yanking a handful of the grass Toothless liked out of my pocket I clutched it in my fist and averted my face as the Gronkle got closer, thrusting my hand out in front of me when it was about three feet away.

The creature dropped, pupils dilating while its nostrils flared against my closed fist. I smiled, rubbing up and down its nose before releasing the clippings and allowing the dragon to snort them up. With that I walked back toward the arena doors where everyone else was waiting, looking just as flabbergasted as they had yesterday.

I smiled sheepishly, "So…uh, did I pass?"

Gobber came back to himself first and gave me a hardy pat on the shoulder, "Great show Hiccup, ye did well lass." Keeping his flesh arm wrapped firmly around me the smith turned to face the rest of the class, "Trainin' over for t'day, yer all dismissed."

One more firm pat from my mentor, coupled with a toothy smile, and Gobber stumbled back into the arena to shove the Gronkle back into its cage.

Ruffnut suddenly had her arm around me, jostling me into a one-armed hug. "Didn't know you had it in you Hiccup!" she complemented.

"Yea I mean how did you do that?" Snotlout continued, seeming to completely forget that he hated me only minutes ago.

Tuffnut shoved him aside and leaned in closer than I was comfortable with, "You just threw out your hand and it just fell over, like BAM!"

Ruffnut's fist connected with her brother's jaw, "Back off moron can't you tell she doesn't want your ugly mug in her face?"

"What did you say you butt elf?"

While the Thorston twins dissolved into their usual bickering Fishlegs sidled up next to me, "So did you really punch it?" he asked.

"Didn't you see? Of course she did!" Snotlout answered for me, slapping a hand on my back hard enough to make me cringe, "she's not my cousin for nothing after all!"

"Uh…sorry guys but I think I forgot my axe in the arena so I'm just gonna'…" without further explanation I turned and ran back to the training center.

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After hiding behind a barrel conveniently placed on the other side of the bridge for what seems like an hour the teens finally decide not to wait for me and scurried off to do their own things. Breathing a sigh of relief I ditch my hiding place and head straight for the cove. Luckily Toothless was wide awake and gives me a huge, gummy smile when he spots me.

My friend bounds over as I scale the cliff face, licking me excitedly when I'm finally in range. "Toothless!" I cry, laughing, "stop! You know that your breath smells like fish right?"

I eventually manage to shove him away and stand with him following beside me as we walk. "Sorry bud but I can't stay long, Gobber's expecting me at the forge later. I'll come back tomorrow so we can work more on our flight training though, how's that sound?"

Toothless seemed to think over the suggestion before letting out a short whuff, accompanied by a nod. "Great so what should we-"

The Nigh Fury suddenly halted, dropping to the ground and bringing his front paw up in an attempt to scratch behind his ear flaps. "Here I've got it" I said, stepping forward to drag my fingernails against the top of his skull. Toothless leaned into my touch, practically curling around me while I scratched. Before long I was using both hands and he was nearly on top of me. One hand continued to work the obviously irritating spot just under his left ear flap while the other strayed under his chin.

Toothless went rigid then collapsed in a dead faint, jaws quirking up in a half smile of contentment. I stared at my palm in wonder. "Well who'd have thought…?"

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"Remember ta stay light on yer feet!" Gobber called.

The Nadder we were facing finished trying to roast the twins before making a beeline for me. I dropped my mace, making the creature pull up short directly in front of me, obviously confused. There was a war cry off to the left and the Nadder turned, giving me enough room to slip in and give it a good scratch under the chin. The dragon dropped just in time to avoid being nailed by Aster and his axe.

The Viking boy gave me a confused look, dropping the weapon he'd had poised over his head. I attempted a smile, though it felt definitely forced, before shouting to Gobber that I was heading to the smithy to work on some of the dull blades and bolting for the exit.

Later on that night I showed up at the mead hall the way I usually did, speed walking past the table housing all the other kids my age and taking a seat at the next table over, which was always vacant. Not two seconds after I sat down everyone from the surrounding tables was all over me, chattering at the same time in an attempt to talk and be heard over one another. All those earnest expressions of genuine admiration and acceptance surrounding me on all sides.

Is this what it's like not to be Hiccup the Useless?

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I bring Toothless his breakfast the next morning and watch him eat while I tinker with the saddle. A few of the metal fasteners have been acting up as of late, so I brought my hammer to sort it out. With my eyes trained firmly on the sticky bolt that refuses to fit back in its proper place I don't notice at first, that is until a sharp movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention.

Temporarily abandoning the bolt I glance up just in time to see Toothless dart across the clearing. His pupils are wide, eyes big. I've only ever seen him look like that when he's chasing mice or other small game in the woods. All of a sudden he jerks forward again, both paws coming down on nothing before one shoots out to his left.

I manage to catch a glimpse of a speck of light just before it disappears under Toothless' paw before furrowing my brow and glancing down at my hammer. It rested against the boulder I'm using as a makeshift worktable, the sunlight glinting off its metal head. A smile takes over my features as I crouch down and carefully aim the beam, giving him something to chase.

I bite my tongue to keep from laughing, Toothless is smart enough to figure out that I'm teasing him if I do. Though with how focused he is I wonder if he would even hear me…

I shine the light over to the left and giggle behind my hand as Toothless springs for it, immediately deciding that it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

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"This is the Terrible Terror" Gobber announces.

We all watch as, rather than the big door swinging open, the foot high one situated at the bottom of the cage released our opponent instead. Honestly I hadn't even noticed that the smaller door was there.

"Ha!" Tuffnut cries, "it's like the size of my-"

The tiny creature launched itself forward and latches onto Tuffnut's nose, completely disregarding the spear and shield he's carrying in favor of skipping straight to the mauling. Understandably, the male Thorston twin cries out in pain and surprise at the sneak attack while everyone else scatters.

"Ow get it off!" he yells.

Using my shield I reflect the sun to catch the tiny creature's attention, making it follow the light just as Toothless had, straight back into its pen. After shutting the door with my foot I walk over to Tuffnut, who's still rolling around in apparent agony.

"You okay?" I ask.

"He's fine" Ruffnut answers, crouching down next to him, "he's just being a huge whine baby."

Tuff shoots to a sitting position, clutching his enflamed nose, "Who're you calling a whine baby!?"

"Did the dragon manage to gnaw off your ears too?" the female Thorston drawled, "who else would I be calling a whine baby?"

"Uh…Tuff you should probably go get some kinda' cream put on that, Terrors are supposed to be venomous" Fishlegs broke in.

"Venom? Cool will I, like, sprout extra limbs or turn green or something?"

"No…but if you leave the bite to get infected there's a chance your nose could eventually rot off."

"Sounds cool to me" Tuff said.

Ruff rolled her eyes while everyone else just looked at the male Thorston twin like he'd finally lost whatever marble's he had left.

"I'll go get Goethi" Aster volunteered, making his way toward the arena entrance.

I watched him go, breathing a disappointed sigh before turning back to Ruff and Tuff. The former was giving me a strange look that made me fidget uncomfortably and bite my bottom lip. In an effort to ignore her stare I returned my attention to her brother, who had taken up talking to Snotlout from where he was still lying on the ground.

"S-so Tuffnut does it feel any better?" I asked.

Both boys turned to look at me, the injured party reaching up a hand to rub the reddened appendage. "Uh yea, it's not as bad as the time Ruff jabbed me in the side with her spear" he replied.

I raised an eyebrow while Ruff cackled somewhere off to the side. "Sweet moves out there by the way" the male Thorston twin said in a rare moment of sincerity, smiling toothily, "you beat it without hardly lifting a finger!"

Heat rose to my cheeks at the flattery, something that I still wasn't used to no matter how many times the villagers complimented me. "N-no it wasn't-" I started, only to be interrupted when Aster returned, planting his foot in the center of Tuffnut's back and sending the boy sprawling into his own lap.

"Got her" Aster said simply, gesturing to the small gray-haired woman at his side.

The Goethi knelt down next to Tuff as he rose to a sitting position, grabbing a jar of salve from her pocket and spreading it none too gently across his nose. With everyone distracted by Tuffnut's wailing and the crowd that had come to watch dragon training slowly trickling back to their routine I slipped away, briefly swinging by my house to grab my supplies before heading off to Toothless' cove.

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"-then I snuck away and came here" I finished, adjusting the straps on the saddle while I finished recounting my day to Toothless.

It had been days since we last attempted flying and I'd finally worked out most of the bugs, fixing the string rigging so that it attached to a pedal on the stirrup, making it much easier to manipulate in the air. But it never hurt to double check.

"Okay, that should do it bud" I said, patting him on the neck and pulling the roll of rope I'd purchased out of my satchel.

We'd relocated to a windy cliff-face for our first test fly and I tied one end off on Toothless' harness before wrapping the other on a thick post I'd hammered into the ground. My dragon companion already knew my plan and knelt down so that I could hop on the saddle, standing to fan his wings while I attached the safety harness.

"Let's go" I said, clipping a piece of paper at the crest of the leather.

Toothless gave a short huff of confirmation before lifting himself into the air, letting the wind open his wings while I pressed down on the pedal. We jerked right and I instinctively clung to the saddle more tightly, only relaxing when we evened out. "Okay" I said, flipping the pedal back to its original position while Toothless dropped his wings, letting us land gently back on the cliff edge.

Pulling out a charcoal pencil I hastily drew the position on my cheat sheet before sliding the writing utensil back into the folds of my vest. "Okay" I said again, taking hold of the leather as Toothless lifted us back into the air. This time we swung left and I scribbled that down.

This went on for a while before the rope snapped, making us both cry out as we flew backwards and landed in a heap past the tree line, thankfully not hitting any trees. I groaned while Toothless stood, dragging me with him via the harness.

"Oh man…" I moaned, tugging ineffectively at the leather, "this…could be a problem."

I grabbed my satchel and started rifling through the contents, wincing when I saw that I only had a pair of small scissors with me. Those were only good for collecting wild flowers and not much else, it would take hours to saw through metal and probably ruin them if I even attempted it.

I groaned and leaned back against my dragon companion before glancing at the sky. It was already getting dark out and the village would be vacant within an hour or two, meaning that we could probably manage getting to the forge and back if we were really careful.

I chewed on my lip, glancing at Toothless, who was staring at me with those big, green, questioning eyes, patiently waiting for me to come up with a solution. With a sigh I stood, my dragon standing with me, and started leading him in the direction of the village.

It was dark by the time we made it there, keeping to the side streets and nearly being spotted by one of the night watchmen before finally managing to slip into the empty forge. I'd barely managed to snag a saw and start cutting through the links chaining me to the saddle when someone called, from just outside the door, "Hiccup?"

Panicked, I grabbed my apron and sprang out the window, slamming the shutters behind me while tying the apron haphazardly around my waist. "Oh Aster! Aster, hi Aster! How nice to see you!"

He raised a wary eyebrow and crossed his arms, "I normally don't care what people do but you're acting really weird."

There was a tug on the harness and I winced. _'Toothless!'_

"Well…weirder" Aster corrected.

"Oh…uh, haha" I stammered as there was a stronger tug, this one pulling me off my feet and nearly through the window. By some force of will I managed to keep from being yanked back into the forge, holding tight to the edge of the window and praying that it only looked like I'd hoisted myself up to have a seat on the sill.

Unfortunately Toothless didn't seem to get the hint and pulled even harder, this time sending me flying backwards through the shudders. Thinking quickly I hopped on Toothless with the sawblade still clutched in my left hand and urged him toward the back entrance. I heard the shutters bang open an instant after we were out the door and told Toothless to take us back to the cove, which he did.

It was only when we got there and I'd spent many minutes using the saw to cut myself free and reshape the hook on the saddle that I realized my wild flower scissors could have cut through the leather of the harness strap. I groaned aloud when I thought of that, putting my head in my hands and letting the saddle flop in my lap. Toothless was oblivious to my mood as he chased a butterfly across the cove.

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The next day was a free day, Gobber had announced that we would be having our final test tomorrow and he wanted us to rest up. That was just fine with me considering that I'd get an entire day alone with Toothless, sneaking out the back door with a wicker basket full of fish at the crack of dawn to make sure that no one noticed.

Once I got there Toothless inhaled his fish and we journeyed back to the same cliff we'd been practicing on the previous day. I hopped onto the saddle, snapping my safety harness in place and taking in a lungful of air.

"Ready bud?"

Toothless glanced at me over his shoulder and huffed, his way of saying yes.

"Okay, let's do this."

My dragon companion obliged, opening his wings and giving a few hard flaps to take us up into the air. I breathed an awed gasp as the breeze blew my hair back, ground getting smaller and smaller below us while the clouds got even bigger.

"Okay bud. We're gonna' take this nice and slow" I said, glancing down at my cheat sheet, "alright…so, position three, no four."

I gripped the handles I'd installed on the crest of the saddle and flipped the pedal, sending us into a short circle. I whipped my head around to observe the tailfin, which held up against the winds as we completed the turn.

It went off perfectly and we leveled out again.

"Okay, okay, it's go time" I said with barely concealed relief, urging Toothless into a downward arc toward the ocean.

"C'mon Toothless, c'mon bud" I said encouragingly as we hovered over the waves, urging him toward the naturally formed stone arch just off shore. One of his wings tilted and a spray of salt water went up to my left but I barely noticed the flecks of water soaking the front of my shirt, eyes focusing on our target.

I eyed the arch as we flew through, just as determined as my dragon if not a lot more nervous. A breath of relief whistled between my teeth as we made it and I patted Toothless' neck, calling out "Good job bud!" over the wind. The Night Fury rumbled back, obviously preening from the compliment.

Unfortunately in my celebration of our small victory I accidentally flew us into a sea stack, "Sorry!" I called out. We flew into another one after I failed to jerk us in the right direction and Toothless pushed off the stone surface, shaking his head roughly, "My fault!"

One of his ear flaps came up to smack me in the face and I yelped indignantly, "Okay, okay I've got it!"

"Position four…no three" I said, flipping the pedal again and urging Toothless into an upward ascent.

"C'mon bud!" I shouted as my dragon flapped madly, "you've got it Toothless!"

He cried out joyfully, obviously loving the exertion as we climbed higher and higher. "Oh this is amazing!" I cried out, Toothless' tongue lolling to one side in his happiness, "the feel of the wind in my-" The cheat sheet slipped from where I'd placed it on the saddle and I cried out, letting go of the handles to try and make a grab for it.

"Stop!" I shouted, my fingers catching the corner of the paper.

Unfortunately Toothless took my cry to mean stop flapping, which is what he did, leaving us dead in the air. Gravity pulled him back down and my harness became unhooked. We freefell, Toothless crying out as he struggled to right himself while I screamed, flaring out my arms and legs in panic.

"Okay! Okay hold on…stay with me bud!" I shouted, trying to remain calm as the obviously distressed dragon wasn't going to, "we-we need to- I need you to angle yourself-"

In his struggles his tail whipped out and smacked me in the face, sending me into a small spiral that left me temporarily dazed. It was only a graze though, which left me with just enough coherency to make a grab for the harness and reattach myself to the saddle. Somehow I'd kept ahold of the cheat sheet and shoved it in my mouth as I hooked my harness back into place and grabbed the handles.

The paper smacked me in the face as I jerked on the saddle, managing to angle Toothless so that he could spread his wings and try to slow our descent. It kept us from crashing but nothing we did would allow us to miss the misty maze of sea stacks we were heading for.

Toothless shrieked and I yanked the cheat sheet out of my mouth, barely able to make out the images on the paper while the mine field got closer. I made a split second decision and chucked the cheat sheet, lowering myself close to Toothless and clutching the handle bars tight.

We entered the mist and I used my body to guide Toothless, making him swerve left and right as we weaved through the obstacles, making split-second turns, swerves, and loops. I bit my bottom lip in concentration, my determination evidently carrying over to Toothless as he stopped screaming and moved with me in perfect synchronization.

Soon enough we made it to the other side and I smiled widely at a choppy horizon of foggy ocean free of sea stacks. "Yes!" I shouted, pumping both arms up in the air. Toothless echoed my exhilaration, puffing a small ball of blue fire. I felt myself slump, "Oh c'mon…" I said as his flames washed over us, charring the ends of my hair and leaving me covered in smoke.

"How about we find somewhere to have lunch bud?" I asked, taking ahold of the handles again.

Toothless vibrated in what I now recognized to be dragon laughter and I snorted, "Yes, yes it's very funny. You got me back for the sea stack thing."

After a few passes of dragon fishing, which basically consisted of Toothless gliding back and forth across the water's surface snapping up unsuspecting prey in his jaws, we finally settled down on a flat rock not too far from where we'd been flying.

There was plenty of washed up driftwood from the island mainland and I gathered up a generous amount before having Toothless light it. We settled down and I carded a hand through my hair, sighing as I brought one of the burnt locks forward for examination.

My hair used to be long and I'd always kept it in a pair of loose pigtails when I was younger. Several months ago Snotlout and Tuffnut had taken to making fun of the 'babyish' hairstyle and I'd changed it to a single braid out of self-consciousness. Unfortunately not long after that I'd gotten it caught in the gears of one of my inventions and Gobber had been forced to cut it, leaving my once long locks barely brushing my shoulders.

My mentor isn't much of a stylist and I walked around the village for almost three days as the butt of much worse heckling from my peers before Mrs. Ingerman, Fishlegs mother, had finally taken pity and evened it out. Since then I'd picked up some new styling techniques from some of the village women and kept it out of my face by braiding the hair close to my skull and off to the side.

Now it barely reached halfway down my neck but it was much easier to manage and, surprisingly, easier to keep out of my way. Hopefully I wouldn't have to cut another few inches off to hide the singed tips.

I felt Toothless shift from where I was leaning against him as he made that familiar huffing sound and spat a regurgitated fish head next to me. "Uh…" I said, meeting the questioning tilt of his head by dropping the lock I'd been fingering and holding up the stick I was using to cook my meal, "no thanks, I'm good."

He didn't press me, turning back to the huge stack sitting in front of him and inhaling a few more cod.

There was a collection of chirps and shrill roars as a pack of Terrible Terrors spotted us and came swooping down for a landing. Toothless growled and I glanced over to see him tucking a pile of fish close to him, hovering over his food defensively as the multicolored creatures scuttled closer.

One went for the fish head that Toothless had regurgitated, dragging it away and tearing a bit off to nibble on. Another Terror tried to grab a bite, only to receive an irritated growl from the first one, who let out a burst of flames in an attempt to defend his meal.

Toothless watched the exchange with drooped eyelids, obviously considering them annoying and not worth the effort so long as they weren't coming after any of the stack in front of him. Almost on cue the pile shifted, a salmon edging away from the rest. My dragon made a grab for it, revealing a green Terrible Terror on the other end. It hissed and Toothless effortlessly managed to yank the salmon back, swallowing it whole and vibrating with dragon laughter.

The Terror, obviously affronted, pulled itself to its feet and scratched the ground in what was probably meant to be a threat. It reared its head back, taking in a great gulp of air- Toothless shot a ball of fire directly into the little dragon's mouth, making it collapse into a pathetic, boneless heap on the ground before pulling itself to its feet and staggering away.

"Not so fire proof on the inside are you?" I questioned, tossing one of my fish to the injured creature, "here ya go."

The Terror perked up and rushed to the food, swallowing it whole before blinking its wide bug eyes at me. Then it walked over, brushing my arm over its scaly hide and curling up next to me for a nap. My hand stroked against the spines on its back before running down its flank, a little ball of warmth against my fingertips. "Everything we know about you guys…is wrong" I said, heart melting for the adorable little thing under my palm.

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Toothless and I got in a few more hours of flying before returning to the cove. I gathered the empty fish basket and our riding gear before heading back to the village.

While I walked I thought about the Terror and Toothless, recalling my earliest childhood memories and thinking about every time I'd witnessed one of the villagers bring their weapon down on a Nightmares head, shoot an arrow through a Nadders wing, or smash a Gronkles nose with a hammer.

I stopped moving, the edge of the forest already in sight, and suddenly decided that I didn't want to head back to the village just yet. Without conscious decision my feet changed direction, taking me down a familiar path that eventually dumped out into a field brimming with flowers. I dropped my basket and Toothless' saddle at the edge of the woods along with my satchel, stopping only to bring out my scissors before heading into the sea of color.

I'd discovered this place while wandering through the woods when I was seven. The only people who know are Elder Goethi and Gobber. The former promised to keep a secret if I promised to gather herbs for her whenever I came up here, apparently there are some good ones growing near the mountainous cliffs that make up the far side of the field and she doesn't have the strength to make the trek there and back in a day. She's needed in the village at all times anyway so I happily agreed.

Besides, she passes on my perfumes to Mrs. Hofferson, who happily takes over the task of selling them in town and returning with the funds. Some of the money goes to Mrs. Hofferson for her troubles and another portion to the Goethi for her assistance. The rest I keep. It's actually a pretty substantial amount, from what I've heard even some of the men have started buying to keep from having to bathe as often.

I hummed as I cut away at a few poppies, carefully handling the buds to preserve the seeds. The Goethi's running low on those. Moving on to grab a few buttercups and finally, some roses. Mindful of the thorns, I cut away three perfect flowers and added them to the stack before making my way back to my things. From my satchel I pulled a piece of cloth and wrapped it around the buds, tying it off around the stems with a piece of thin rope.

That done, I placed the bundle in my satchel and plopped down on the ground, inhaling the floral scent with a deep sigh.

"I need to remember to come back later…winters coming and I need to get stocked up" I said aloud.

People tended to but a lot more perfume in the colder months. It's always cold, but especially so when it's snowing and hailing and you're jammed inside with all your family for days on end trying to get warm in front of the fire. Not everyone has as big a hall as me and dad, not everyone has so little people in their home either.

Whenever we start to reek we just head to the adjoining room that dad made years ago, sticking a few logs under the suspended iron tub to heat up the snow we shovel into it. Dad always makes me go first, insisting that he'll go after despite being head of the family and thus the one who is supposed to go first. Those that had the means copied our method while those that didn't buy copious amounts of perfume before the first snow and clean up the first moderately warm day they get.

It's good for business so I can't really complain, even though the process of making perfume on such a large scale takes up a lot of time and often leads to me coming several times a week to get enough flowers.

I sigh and lay back on the ground, not minding if I get dirt on my clothes or in my hair. I'm already covered in soot anyway. It's a surprisingly clear day, I notice, despite having already noticed this while Toothless and I were flying.

In thinking of Toothless I'm indirectly reminded of the Terror and frown. My perfume hobby had gotten my mind off the dragon issue for a little while and now it'd managed to worm its way back in. I sat up with a grumble, grabbing my scissors and cutting two more bunches that were so big I could barely close my satchel before hefting the rest of my things and heading back.

It was getting dark by the time I slipped in my back door and dropped Toothless' saddle and the basket. Dad's bag was on the floor in front of his chair. That, along with the remains of a fire still smoking in the fireplace, told me that he was back from his trip.

He was probably at the mead hall with everyone else, which left me free to head over to the forge.

I made it there with hardly a distraction, only a few quick hellos and waves from whoever remained wandering the streets. Gobber wasn't there so I stoked the fire before slipping into the back room and unbundling the flowers. They had already started to droop and I separated the poppies from the rest before running back into the forge to grab the pot I'd left cooking over the embers, being careful to don my working gloves before picking it up.

I carried it back into my workshop and pulled off the lid before tossing the flowers in and stirring for a good ten minutes with a clean metal rod. Once I was satisfied that the petals had floated down to the very bottom I placed the pot down next to the dozen others that lined the walls.

I heated and stirred the rest of the jars, lining them up from youngest to oldest until I'd gone through all of them. The one with the most aged contents had been sitting there for almost a week and rotated multiple times, making it ready for the next step of the process. Taking the jug of mead that I kept separate from the rest I poured it into the jar and stirred, eventually deeming it complete and setting it off to the side.

"Hiccup?"

I jerked and whirled around to find my father trying to squeeze his way through the door.

"Dad uh…" I walked over to my desk and started shoving the papers together, trying to keep the scattered drawings of Toothless and his prosthetic out of my father's sight, "Gobber's not here so um…"

"I know" he said, "I came lookin' for ye."

"Oh-oh! Y-you did?" I asked, hardly able to keep the touch of incredulity out of my voice.

"Ye've been keepin' secrets."

"I have?" I asked, closing my notebook and leaning my elbow against the table before straightening again, fingers toying with the corner of a page in what I'm sure was the picture of perfect nervousness.

"Just how long do ye think ye can hide from me?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"I-I don't know what you're-"

"Nothin' happens on this island without me hearin' bout' it" he interrupted, "so let's talk…about that dragon."

I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I stumbled back, wide eyes staring up at my father, who was bearing down on me in a way that was much different from his normal disappointed bearing.

"Oh Gods" I inhaled, almost collapsing against my worktable, "dad I am so sorry I was going to tell you I just didn't know how to, uh-"

To my eternal surprise my father started…laughing?

Much different from the angry shouting I'd expected. Still nervous I laughed back, though considerably more subdued compared to my father's huge guffaws.

"You-you're-you're not upset?" I asked.

"What?" he asked, smiling big enough for me to count all his teeth even through the obscurity of his ginger beard, "I was hopin' for this!"

"You were?" I asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Believe me lass it only gets better! Wait until ye spill a Nadders guts the first time, oh and mount yer first Gronkle head on a spear! What a feelin'!"

Any hope of understanding from my father evaporated with that statement and I had to make a conscious effort not to let the disappointment show on my face as he put an arm around me, going into a long winded description of what it'd felt like when he was a boy first coming into the village occupation.

"Ah ye really had me goin' there girl" he said with a deep breath, "all those years of the worst Vikin' the village has ever seen! Odin it was rough, I almost gave up on ye and all the while ye were holdin' out on me oh Thor almighty!"

I laughed nervously, trying to smile despite the red hot pokers that his words were jabbing into my heart. I'd always known that my dad thought this way about me and it's one thing to have it verbalized by other people, called names by your neighbors and peers, but quite another when it's your _father_ telling you how much of a screw up you've always been.

The burning behind my eyes was back again.

"Ah, with ye doin' so well in the ring we finally have somethin' ta talk about" he said, releasing me so that he could sit back on a stool, eager face staring at me expectantly.

I pursed my lips and averted my eyes, trying to find something, _anything_ , to say and barely managed to open my mouth before closing it again. The words just wouldn't come. He scooted closer, still looking eager for the tips on dragon killing I'm sure he expected me to ask about, before seeming to realize that I was uncomfortable and scooting back.

"Oh. Um…I…Uh" he said, reaching for something strapped to his belt.

It was a small Viking helmet and he tweaked one of the horns before turning back to me.

"I brought ye somethin' ta keep ye safe."

He handed it to me and I couldn't keep the openmouthed smile of wonder and light happiness from my face. Dad had always opposed me getting a helmet, always said that I wouldn't need it so long as I worked in the smith and never went out during the raids. He hadn't been happy when I'd finally gotten tired of waiting for him to okay it and used a portion of my own money to buy one for myself. That helmet had been taken and locked up in the sailor's chest he kept at the foot of his bed, inaccessible by anything but the key he kept around his throat.

Now he was giving me one himself, making it instantly more special than the one I'd purchased. It was well-made too and looked to be just my size.

"Wow, thanks" I said.

"Yer mother would've wanted ye ta have it, it's half of her breast plate" he said, tapping on his own helmet, "matchin' set, keeps her close ye'know?"

I nodded, carefully retracting my hand from where it had been smoothing over the metal surface.

"Wear it proudly, ye deserve it, ye've held up yer end of the deal."

A pang of guilt prickled and I quickly placed the helmet on my worktable, feigning a yawn, "Gosh, y'know I guess I should really get to bed."

"Yes well" Stoick cleared his throat as he stood, "good talk."

"I'll see you back at the house" I said.

"Course, right, good."

"Thanks for stopping by dad."

"Yea well I hope ye like the…the hat."

"T-thanks."

He hit his head on the ceiling as he stumbled backwards to the door, standing tall for a silent moment before clearing his throat, "I'll uh…yep g'night."

"Oh and Hiccup?" he said, stopping halfway out.

"Y-yea dad?"

His eyes went soft, just like they had a moment ago when he'd given me the breast helmet.

"I'm proud of ye girl."

Something melted inside me and the burning behind my eyes flared back up with a fierce vengeance as I met his gaze. "T-thanks dad" I whisper, barely able to get the words past the lump forming in my throat.

He gave a curt nod before ducking out and shutting the door, leaving me alone.

I exhaled and placed both hands on the table before reaching into the stack of papers I'd shoved to the side and pulling out a sketch of Toothless. My vision blurred and I rested my elbows against the wood, forehead coming down to meet the paper.

"What am I gonna' do…"

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The next morning I snuck out before dawn, grabbing a basket full of fish and hiking my way up to Raven's Point. I'd hardly gotten any sleep the night before and ended up burning through a full candle trying to sketch out my frustrations, which didn't work and actually managed to make me feel worse.

Sighing deeply I trudged along with the saddle in tow. I would have to find a place near the cove to hide this thing before long, it's just too conspicuous to be carrying around. But then Toothless might get ahold of it and either destroy it on purpose or through some bizarre accident. Probably the latter now that he knows that we need it to fly.

"Maybe under that uprooted tree…" I thought aloud, "then at least it'll be safe in case it rains…"

Thinking about Toothless is a good distraction. It keeps me from thinking about the guilt of lying to my father. His return home was an unpleasant reminder that I'm doing something very much against the Viking way, something that would probably bring a lot of shame to him and the rest of the village if anyone were to find out, something that is allowing me to sorta' cheat in the kill ring…

Damn it all to Hel I'm thinking about it again.

Out of nowhere an axe imbeds itself in a tree directly in front of me, snapping me out of my daze and startling me enough to let out a loud shriek. I stumbled backward but didn't fall, to my credit I even managed to keep ahold of my load.

"Hiccup?"

Aster – why him? Of all people! – walked up and grabbed the handle of the weapon, tearing it away from the trunk. He hefted it over one shoulder, staring at me with drawn brows. "You need to be more careful, I could have cleaved your head in two" he admonished, almost looking genuinely concerned, "what are you doing here anyway?"

"I um…uh…well…" I stuttered.

"And what's that strange thing you've got there?" he asked, pointing to the saddle.

I quickly hid it behind my back, which unfortunately brought his attention to the basket.

"Are those fish?"

"Uh…just going for a morning hike, trying to get the blood flowing before training you know" I lied, avoiding his eyes and shouldering the pack for illustration, "I went shopping this morning and decided that it would be quicker to just head out for a quick walk instead of dropping it home, y'know don't want to be late for dragon training today."

I laughed nervously, inwardly cringing at my bad acting skills and praying that Aster doesn't notice. Judging from the skeptical look on his face he does, great.

"What about that?" he asks, gesturing to the saddle.

"Oh this!" I say, jostling it in my arms, "one of my inventions! I've been trying to make improvements on it and thought that I'd scout out a place to test it while I was here."

Not entirely a lie.

"Another invention? Don't you not need those anymore with how well you're doing in dragon training?" he asked. Did I detect a note of jealousy in his tone? Probably imagined it.

"Ah well, I still like to tinker and you never know it might prove useful someday."

Aster scoffed and I felt some of my nerves give way to indignation.

"Something wrong with that?" I asked.

"Well…" he said, holstering his axe and running his hand through his messy braid. Only Aster Hofferson could make a messy braid look that good, "It's just after your last invention…"

Okay, feeling more offended than indignant now.

"After my last invention what?" I challenged, forgetting about everything else as I narrowed my eyes on the boy in front of me. To my surprise he looked flustered now, tugging at his braid and averting his eyes – two things I never would have associated with Aster Hofferson.

"Nothing, look I just figured that you would be more focused on training than building your contraptions now is all" he said finally, regaining a bit of his old persona now that he was backed into a corner.

"Well I like my 'contraptions' as you call them and really it isn't any of your business whether I continue to tinker with them or not" I said, turning on my heel and walking further into the forest, "see you at dragon training!" I called over my shoulder. It was an obvious dismissal and luckily he didn't follow.

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An hour later I'd fed Toothless, stashed the saddle under a tree root, and sprinted home with enough time to change out of my riding harness before heading to the arena. Gobber had set up two dozen of those wooden obstacles, perfect for hiding behind and waiting for the moment to attack.

I almost question whether or not the Gods hate me as I adjust my helmet and enter the ring with Aster right behind me. Apparently we're the top two students so we'll have to face off against each other to see who gets the honor of killing the Nightmare.

After I'd made it to Toothless' cove, having tromped nearly the entire way there, I replayed my conversation with Aster in my head and groaned. Gods I'd basically talked down to _Aster Hofferson_. The boy I'd had a crush on for years. The boy who only started talking to me when he thought I'd given up my 'contraptions' and gotten good at dragon training.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He'd chosen to enter with only his axe and stared straight ahead, jaw set. I repressed the urge to groan.

' _Well look on the bright side Hiccup'_ I thought, _'if he only paid you mind for your fake prowess in the ring then he probably wasn't worth it anyway right.'_

Yea, I'll keep telling myself that.

I take a deep breath as the gate opens and the Gronkle flies in, circling the ring while I take shelter behind one of the obstacles. Aster appears beside me, making less than a second of eye contact before I turn away. By the time I glance back he's gone and I rise to my feet, lifting my gaze up into the stands where dad's watching. His smile could split his face in two and I lift my axe hand to wave awkwardly, a very fake smile plastered on my face.

It doesn't take long for the Gronkle to spot me after I stand and it flies right over. I duck out of the crowd's sight and ditch my shield, axe, and helmet. The dragon must remember me because it skids to a stop right in front of me, a bit hesitant as it flares its nostrils and inches closer. All that distrust goes right out the window when I reach under its chin and give it a firm scratch. Yellow eyes go wide as it flops onto its side, tongue lolling out. I smile and rise so that I'm leaning against the obstacle.

When I glance up Aster is standing there with his axe held high and an astonished look on his face. My eyes go wide and I stand straighter, looking from the Gronkle, to Aster, then back. To my surprise Asters eyes narrow and he curses, swinging his axe at empty air in clear frustration.

There's a round of subdued applause from the audience and I begin to make my way to the exit, "Alright so…later" I say.

"Now hold on there lassie" Gobber says, placing his hooked hand in my path.

"Well I'm kinda' late for-"

"What?" Aster asks, stepping up beside me, "late for what?"

His look is challenging, muscled arms crossed in front of his chest though his axe is still clutched noticeably in one hand.

"Okay quiet down!" my father shouts, "The elder has decided.

Gobber steps between us, hovering one hand over Aster. The Goethi shakes her head, making the crowd gasp. My mentor drops his arm and lifts the other over my head. This time she smiles, pointing at me with a single crooked finger and nodding. Everyone cheers.

I cringe and meet Aster's eyes for the barest of seconds. Oh Thor he does not look happy.

"Ye did it Hiccup!" Gobber cries, pulling me into a brief one-armed hug and forcing me to dance in a happy circle with him, "ye get ta kill the dragon!"

He lets me go just in time for the other teens to rush over, swarming around and lifting me in the air. I force a smile, "Oh yea! Great I am so…"

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"…leaving. That's it bud it's time to go, we're outta' here" I say, dropping the bag that I'd packed and making my way over to where I'd hidden the saddle.

It had taken me hours to slip away from the village. My dad had hugged – yes _hugged_ \- me after I came out of the ring. It was the first real show of public affection he'd given me in years, which had quickly been followed by countless pats on the back and complements. I didn't even hear half of them with so many people talking all at once. Before I knew it I'd been whisked away to the mead hall with the rest of the teens – excluding Aster, who had disappeared – and only managed to slip away after claiming that I wanted to get in a little rest before the big event tomorrow.

Dad was out taking care of his chiefly duties so I snagged a bag and shoved everything I thought I would need into it. Some clothes, a few days food, my dagger, everything I'd earned through my perfume making, my smithing tools, and a few other essentials. That, along with my battered satchel, are what I grabbed before writing a quick note to my dad and leaving it on my bed. Hopefully he would find it, eventually.

"You're leaving?"

I froze halfway to the mass of gnarled tree roots, slowly turning to find Aster holding the bag I'd packed. Oh Loki's hairy balls.

"I…uh…well"

I couldn't think of anything, my brain had completely short circuited on me. Maybe it was the pure shock of seeing someone else in the cove. I mean I hadn't been caught before so why now right? But of course, _of course_ the moment I decide to leave this has to happen.

"Hiccup are you leaving?" Aster asks again, less surprised and more…angry?

When I don't answer he drops my bag and storms toward me. I stumble back but he's much faster, grabbing me by the shoulders and giving me a rough shake. "Answer me Hiccup!" he shouts. His fingers are digging into my arms with a surprising amount of force but even though I know that there will probably be bruises later I don't even flinch.

"Why do you care anyway?" I shout back, trying to jerk away from him. An act in futility if I've ever attempted one.

His face scrunches up and I'm surprised when he releases me, making me stumble back into a boulder. Aster opens his mouth, face blazing red in rage, then seems to check himself before opening it again, "You've got to kill that Nightmare tomorrow, you're finally doing something right and now you want to run away?"

I feel something inside me shatter. Who does this boy think he is? What gives him the right to stand there and tell me that I'm a screw-up? Not explicitly, but close enough.

Tears spring to my eyes and I push myself off the rock, fists clenched at my sides. "Yes I'm running away!" I shout, "Are you happy now? I'm a screw up, a moron that can't even stomach killing a dragon. I don't need you to tell me that, I know perfectly well how useless I am, that I'm not a Viking. I know that already and I don't need to hear any confirmation from you!"

Aster looks thrown by my outburst, the red leaving his cheeks as he stares at me in what I can only call disbelief. "What are you-"

"Like you don't know" I interrupt, "it's like you said earlier about me and my 'contraptions' all I can do is tinker, make perfume, and mess things up. That's nowhere near enough to be a Viking and everyone knows it. Someone like you could never understand how it feels so you don't get to tell me that running away is a bad idea, you don't have any right to tell me anything."

I almost whisper the last part, tears streaming down my cheeks even as I try like Hel to suppress them. Tilting my head down I wipe at them with my sleeve, letting my bangs drape forward to cover my face. I hate it when people see me cry, it's a sign of weakness, that's what I was taught. Back when I was little dad would always say: "Now dry those tears you're a Vikin' and Vikin's don't cry!"

Needless to say that I got good at repressing them.

But now I'm tired, I'm stressed, I'm guilty, I'm panicking because _I just don't know what to do_. All that I know is that I won't be able to kill that Nightmare tomorrow, not after getting to know Toothless and seeing the Terrors. I just won't be able to do it.

I feel a pair of arms wrap around me and start, looking up through my hair to see Aster's shoulder pressing into my cheek. One hand rests on my lower back while the other moves up to stroke my choppy hair.

"You're right" he said and I can't suppress a shutter as his breath ghosts over the shell of my ear, "I don't have any idea what it must feel like. But you're wrong about not being good at anything, I mean just look at how well you've done in dragon training-"

I shove my balled fists against his chest but his arms constrict around me, keeping me from escaping.

"Let me go!" I shout.

"Will you just calm down and listen!?" he hollers, a note of aggravation in his tone.

"No now Let. Me. Go!"

A roar disrupts our argument and Aster has me pushed behind him, axe clutched tightly in his fist, before I can blink. Toothless appears around a rock, eyes big and earflaps raised. He'd probably been napping and finally woken when I'd shouted.

"Run back to the village for help!" Aster yells.

Toothless' pupils narrow, his lip curling back to reveal rows of sharp teeth. He roars and dashes toward us. I barely manage to slide myself under Aster's arm and knock him back, making the axe fly off to the side. My dragon skids to a halt right in front of me, still snarling even as I put both arms out to try and calm him.

After a long moment of him attempting to dodge around me and get to Aster he drops his flared wings.

"You scared him" I say, keeping Toothless back with both hands pressed to his skull.

"I scared him!?" Aster shouts out, stumbling back to his feet. He narrows his eyes, "Who…is him?"

"Uh…"

Toothless picks that moment to curl himself around me, still growling at Aster as he nudges me back so that he's between me and the blonde boy. Aster for his part has already started inching toward his axe, not taking his eyes off the dragon.

"Toothless…wait, no Aster!" I say, huffing indignantly when neither of them listen to me.

"Will both of you just stop it!"

"Hiccup it's a dragon!" Aster shouts.

"I can see that thank you" I reply dryly, placing my hands on my hips and stumbling when Toothless nudges me again, obviously trying to push me back to the uprooted tree, "but he isn't dangerous."

"Not dangerous? It's a dragon!"

"Yet he hasn't killed me, so what do you have to say about that?"

Aster hesitated. He's already backed up enough so that he's practically right on top of his axe. His blue eyes briefly flick to the weapon and Toothless reacts instantly, stopping our slow procession backwards to growl menacingly and flare his wings. Aster freezes, not daring to take his eyes off the dragon. I can almost see the cogs turning in his head, debating whether or not Toothless will tackle him before he can grab it.

Making my decision I put a hand on Toothless' back and vault over, landing on the other side. Toothless hisses in displeasure and tries to wrap himself around me again. I dance out of the way. My dragon huffs in frustration, not daring to take his eyes off Aster, although he manages a pretty good glower from the corner of his eye.

I snort, "Oh please he would have killed me a long time ago if he was going to hurt me."

Turning to Aster, who's lost just a touch of his determination in favor of disbelief, I frown. "See, he's overprotective and a little whiney but not deadly."

A low growl.

"Yes, yes, adorable, strong, and smart too we know."

A whuff of agreement.

By now Aster is staring at me like I'm some kind of nutter, which I probably am in his eyes.

"So this…this is…what?" he asks.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted" I glare pointedly at Toothless, who huffs in response clearly not at all apologetic, "Aster this is Toothless, Toothless, Aster."

My dragon hisses, showing rows of sharp, pointed teeth.

"Is this how you've-"

"How I've gotten so good in the ring? Yes" I lose some of my annoyance at the admission, a bit of guilt leaking in.

"So all this time whenever you've disappeared from the village-"

"I'm usually here" I agree, what was left of my bravado leaving with those words.

Aster's face sets like a flint, the anger and betrayal clear in his features. "You've been _cheating_ " he spits the word like its poison, "and lying, and coming here to be with that-that _thing_ instead of your own kind!"

"Toothless isn't a thing" I defend, "besides it isn't like anyone ever asked where I was going-"

"I did" he shot back and I winced when I realized that he was right. It might've been only a casual meeting this morning but I'd still lied.

"No wonder you don't think you can kill a Nightmare in the ring, you really _can't_ " he continued, "and here I was actually worried about you!"

"You were worried about me?" I asked.

His mouth snapped shut, something flickering across his face too quickly to decipher before it was gone, "Does it matter?"

To me it did but I wasn't about to say so.

He had stopped trying to inch toward his weapon and was now inching toward the exit. With one last glance at Toothless and a head shake at me he turned and bolted, vaulting over the shield and disappearing from sight.

"Dun, dun, dun we're dead."

Toothless paid my comment no mind, turning and making his way back toward the uprooted tree. "Whoa, whoa, whoa where do you think you're going?" I ask, turning to follow as my dragon trots right up to the saddle and nudges it with his nose.

I roll my eyes and set to work getting it on, a process that takes less time than usual. "Well it looks like we're really gonna' have to get out of here now bud" I say as I finish adjusting the final strap. Toothless seems overjoyed with the idea, lolling his tongue out in a happy grin.

We walk out of the nest of gnarled roots together and I spot my stuff still sitting across the cove. Almost against my will my eyes stray to Aster's discarded axe. Guilt spears my insides and all of a sudden I realize that I can't just leave things like this. I vault onto Toothless' back and attach the harness.

"Sorry bud but we have to go after him."

My dragon lets out a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "Yea I know after some of the stuff he said to me I'm not too crazy about it either but I can't just leave without settling this" I place my hand on Toothless' temple and he glances over his shoulder, making eye contact, "please bud?"

He stares at me for a long moment before huffing and spreading his wings. I smile, "Thank you."

Then we're in the air, zooming through the trees and eventually spotting Aster. He hasn't stopped running since he first took off and was only about a quarter of a mile from the forest's end. We swooped down and picked him up without preamble, making him shout out a curse.

Toothless chose a high pine and dropped Aster on one of the tallest branches while we landed beside him, forcing the tree to tilt to accommodate our weight.

"Just listen to what I have to say!" I shout.

"Why the Hel should I listen to anything that you have to say!?" he calls back.

"Because you aren't getting down until you do."

That makes him pause.

"I know that this goes against everything that we've ever been taught and is probably the most insane thing you've ever heard in your entire life-"

He snorts.

"-but I'm asking you to let me show you. Please Aster."

I reach out my hand and he stares at it, sliding a glance at Toothless before accepting. My dragon growls when I grip his forearm and help him up but doesn't try anything, it was more of a light warning really. Aster releases my hand the second he's settled on the saddle, scooting back as far as he can without falling off.

"Now get me down from here."

"Toothless" I say sweetly, "down, gently."

Of course my dragon decides not to listen and shoots up in a near vertical takeoff. I can hear Aster screaming while his hands grab for me, one wrapping around my waist while the other ends up higher. My cheeks flame and I let out a squeak. Somewhere in the back of my mind I think, with only mild sarcasm, how very similar this is to that day in the ring.

Though this time he's too preoccupied screaming and clinging to me like an octopus to notice, whereas last time he was trying not to get killed by a Nadder.

"T-Toothless!" I shriek, still flustered, as my dragon companion makes a sharp dive for the ocean's surface. He dips twice, spraying us with water though Aster hardly seems to notice. To his credit he's stopped screaming. "We need him to like us!" I shout.

I am once again ignored and Toothless shoots up high, curling his wings and sending us into a twirl. "And now the spinning" I say, ignoring the sharp curse Aster spews, "thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

He switches it up, going into an uncontrolled tumble that leaves me not knowing which way is up or down. "Alright!" Aster cries, burying his face between my shoulder blades in obvious terror, "I'm sorry alright! I apologize so just get me off this thing."

I'm almost surprised when Toothless evens out, letting us glide easily over the clouds in perfect view of Berk. Aster lifts his head and I hear his sharp intake of breath, then feel the tightening of his hands. I yelp and instinctively fold my elbows in, catching one of his wrists. For the first time he seems to realize where his hands are and jerks them both back with a squeaky, "Sorry!"

I take a few deep breaths, "It's…okay, just…keep them a little lower alright?"

He doesn't give any verbal response, just his hesitant hands coming to rest against my waist. It's awkward but not wholly uncomfortable so I don't say anything, not even when his arms wrap fully around me to keep himself from falling as Toothless makes a slow circle above the clouds, then below them again. The contrast is the difference between day and night, literally.

Swooping back down darkness had descended on Berk, all the individual lights burning brightly against the inky darkness. Toothless purposely swerves around the guardians, careful not to get too close to the village, before swinging around back toward Raven's Point.

"Okay" Aster breathes, "I have to admit that this is pretty amazing….he's amazing."

"Right?" I say cheerfully, patting my dragon affectionately. Toothless practically purrs at the complement.

"But Hiccup your final exam is tomorrow you do realize you're going to have to-" Aster pauses, then whispers, "kill a dragon."

My face scrunches, "Don't remind me."

Toothless suddenly goes rigid and dives, "Wha- Toothless?"

He doesn't answer, carrying us out toward the ocean, leaving Berk back in the distance. I squint and barely manage to make out the frantic twitching of Toothless' ear flaps in the darkness. "Bud? What's wrong?"

A roar sounds off to the left and I feel Aster tense along with me. In the darkness it's only a shadow but as it gets closer it takes shape and my eyes widen. A Monstrous Nightmare. Upon closer inspection I see that it's carrying a carcass, probably a poor farm animal that didn't get inside quick enough.

There's another sound on the other side and I whip around to see a Zippleback flying alarmingly close. One of the heads turn toward me, I don't dare move as it gives me a once over before facing front again. "Get down!" I hiss over my shoulder, pressing myself as close as I can get to Toothless' saddle.

Aster's arms wrap around me as he leans into my back, his much bigger form almost eclipsing mine, though I barely register that as more dragons start to surround us.

"Looks like their hauling in their kill" Aster whispers in my ear.

I squint and discover that he's right, every single one is carrying some kind of food. "But what does that make us?" he says, traces of doubt lacing his tone.

I can't help but scoff. Toothless would never do such a thing.

Conversation stops after that and for a while it's just open ocean until we approach a thick coat of fog. I instantly recognize it from my dad's stories. _Helheim Gate._ It's supposed to be where the dragons nest is located and Vikings have been trying to breach it for the last seven generations. I suddenly feel like slapping myself _of course_ a dragon would be able to get there, it wouldn't make much sense if they couldn't.

We enter the fog and I adjust the pedal to accommodate the flight pattern, swerving around sea stacks and taking a curved dive that leads indirectly into a hole in the side of a mountain. The first thing I'm aware of is the sweltering heat, obviously generated by the magma that lights the center. It's only after I take note of this that I realize the mountain is hollow.

"What my dad wouldn't give to find this…" I whisper.

Toothless breaks off from the rest and slides behind a pillar on one of the higher perches, allowing us to tilt our heads so that we can watch as the dragons dump their catch into the giant pit in the center of the cavern.

"Well it's satisfying to know that all our food is being dumped down a hole" I say.

"They aren't eating any of it" Aster replies.

A Nightmare drops a huge fish carcass and quickly followed by a Gronkle. The dragon flies jerkily, almost looking drunk as it struggles to remain airborne. When it gets to the center of the cavern it opens its mouth and coughs up a chunk of fish, barely one third the size of its tongue and probably the same relative perimeter as my forearm, meaning that it isn't very big.

The chunk falls out of sight and the Gronkle stays hovering to scratch itself behind the ear. There's a rumble from somewhere down below, making the dragon freeze. It drops its leg and starts to make its way to one of the shelves lining the walls. Unfortunately it doesn't fly fast enough.

Something rises up from the pit, a huge head that seems barely big enough to fit in the cavern, opening its unbelievable maw to swallow the Gronkle whole. There's a collective grumble of fear as all the dragons slither back into their caves, trying to make themselves seem as small as possible while the gargantuan thing disappears back under the layer of smoke.

"What…was that" Aster breaths.

The giant head reappears a second later, nostrils flaring.

"It's time to go Toothless" I say, patting my dragon's head, unable to take my eyes of the rows of huge, sharp-

Its eyes snap over to us and I shout "Now!" just as it lunges, snapping its jaws closed on air as Toothless takes flight. All the other dragons do too, an endless stream of swirling, scaled bodies. I'm not sure if I'm relieved or horrified when those deadly teeth snap closed on a Zippleback, missing us by inches as we explode out the top of the mountain and fly as fast as we can back to Berk.

"No it totally makes sense" Aster says as we glide in for a landing, "it's like a bee hive, they're the workers and that's they're queen."

He hops off Toothless, holding a hand out to help me down. I take it, absentmindedly allowing him to lower me to the ground.

"We need to go find your dad."

My hand tightens around his, "No."

"No? Hiccup we just found the nest, the thing that we've been after since Vikings first sailed here, why shouldn't we tell him?"

I bit my lip, "Because he'll kill Toothless."

"Your pet dragon?" Aster scoffs.

I let go of his hand, backing away a few steps before raising my eyes to meet his. Blue glinted orbs in the moonlight, framed by that damned messy blonde braid. He looks irritated but some of that melts away when he sees the look on my face.

"He's more than just a pet" I say with conviction. I don't think I've ever spoken about something this strongly before, "It-it's hard to describe but he's way more than that."

There's a long pause and for a second I think that Aster is going to run off and tell my father anyway. Instead he exhales a breath and says: "Okay, so what should we do?"

I smile, relieved, "I don't know yet, but I'll think of something."

Aster laughs, actually laughs, I'd never seen him do that before, at least not with me, not since we were kids. One hand raises up to his messy braid, playing with a loose strand while the other rests on his hip. "Well not to rush you or anything but you might want to think of it by tomorrow, after seeing your little display I don't think I'd be able to watch…you know if…" he trails off meaningfully.

Silence reigns.

Aster takes a step forward, his stride worth two of mine, putting him directly in front of me. My breath catches as he raises a hand to my cheek. Instead of touching it, like I thought he would, he pinches me.

"Ow!" I shout, jerking away to rub the abused skin just below my cheek bone.

He grins and damned if it isn't the most attractive thing I'd ever seen in my life. "That, was for kidnapping me" he said simply.

I pouted and opened my mouth to reply when he leaned in, lips ghosting across mine. Whatever I'd been about to say died on my tongue. He pulled back and I could almost swear I saw color on his cheeks as he said: "That was for…everything else," before turning, snatching his axe up from the ground, and exiting the cove.

I watched long after he'd gone, the hand that had been clutching my cheek drifting to brush across my lips. Gods I could still feel the warmth from the kiss. Toothless huffed next to me and I started, not even realizing that he had walked up.

His green eyes sparkled, mouth pulled up in what I can only describe as a smirk.

"What are you looking at!?" I cried, feeling the heat on my cheeks burn hotter.

He whuffed as if to say _nothing_ before turning and heading back to the uprooted tree.


	3. Chapter 3

I fidgeted nervously, adjusting my helmet for the tenth time in two minutes as I waited for my father to announce the start of the event.

"Well I can show my face in public again!" Stoick shouted out to the crowd.

His voice was loud enough to echo, rising above the cheering and even spreading as far as the holding area of the arena – where I am now. I deflate as I listen to his speech, traditionally given by the chief before the leading dragon training graduate takes center stage. Geez and I thought him admitting to thinking of me as a screw-up was bad…

"If somebody'd told me that in a few short weeks my girl would go from being…well…Hiccup, to placing first in dragon trainin'? Ha, I'da strung him up on a mast and shipped'em off! For fear he'd gone mad!"

The crowd laughed. My shoulders slumped.

"And ye know it!" Stoick shouted, "But here we are, and no one's more surprised. More proud, than I am now. T'day my lass becomes a Vikin'. She becomes one of us!"

A roar rose up from the masses, making the lump in my throat grow. All these people here expecting me to kill a dragon…and my dad…only proud of me because I finally did something _right_. Except that I didn't, it's all a _lie_.

"Hey."

I turn to see Aster walking up behind me and don't even pretend to hide my nerves. Judging from the pitying look he give me I'm guessing he saw the flash of pain in my eyes before I had a chance to hide it. But he doesn't comment, instead choosing to try and smile, it's obviously fake but reassuring anyway. His hand comes down on my shoulder, more comforting than reassuring.

"You be careful with that dragon okay?"

I glance out into the ring, watching as my father makes his way through the crowd and sits down in the stone chair propped up on a high rise. The chief's special viewing platform.

"It's not the dragon I'm worried about…"

Aster takes me by my shoulders, turning me to face him and involuntarily tearing my eyes away from my dad. "What are you gonna' do?" he asks softly.

I gulp, "Put an end to this."

His arms wrap around me, pulling me into a warm hug. I don't resist, burying my face into his blue tunic and fisting my hands in the fabric. If he's offering comfort then I'm definitely not refusing. "You'll be fine" he whispers, "you survived a Night Fury after all, the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself, what's a little Nightmare compared to that?"

I clung to him tighter, "I told you it isn't just the Nightmare…"

He pulled back but kept his hands resting against my waist, offering a smile, "As far as you should be concerned it is."

In other words don't worry about the massive stage fright and just go for it. I smile hesitantly back.

"Well, well, well…"

We both jerk as Gobber comes tromping over, preparing to open the metal grate that seals the entrance to the arena.

"Wasn't aware of this happenin'…"

My cheeks flush while Aster smiles awkwardly, though neither of us relinquish our hold on one another.

"I'll give ye a moment but be quick about it, gotta' start soon" the smith says with a crooked grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows before stumbling over to the corner and beginning to work the crank, deliberately slowly.

A thought strikes me like a bolt and I hug Aster close again. With the knowledge that my mentor is probably straining his ears to listen and suddenly thankful for the noise of the crowd I prop myself up on my toes and whisper into Asters ear: "If something goes wrong…make sure they don't find Toothless, can you promise me that?"

His hands tighten against my waist, "Promise me that nothing will go wrong."

"Promise me" I emphasize.

He hesitates a moment longer before nodding and I pull back with a smile, "Thank you."

The metal grate starts to lift, opening the way for me to make my grand appearance. I hesitate for a second before turning and flinging my arms around Aster's neck, brushing a chaste kiss to his lips. My face is red as I pull back, not giving him even a moment of time to react. There's an astonished look on his face and I hear Gobber laughing from somewhere off to the side as I turn on my heel and walk into the arena.

A round of cheers go up as I enter and I look to my father, who's grinning ear to ear in pride. I drop my gaze and walk to the weapons stacked up near the center. My name is a chant, the name of a runt, the village pariah, the village screw up, shouted with the voices of all villagers. I never thought I'd hear my name on their lips like this, with excitement instead of ridicule.

When I think about how it came to be this way and why exactly they're cheering I almost want to be sick.

Swallowing thickly I grab a shield and a small dagger, moving to the center of the ring and facing the door that I know the Nightmare will burst out of.

I take a deep breath, "I'm ready."

It slams the doors open, body already aflame as it springs away from the half-melted door and runs along the edges of the ring. A stream of fire spews from between its teeth and the crowd instinctively dodges when it came too close, filling the space once it passed.

The fire dies as it climbs up the cobweb of chains that make up the dome of the kill ring, twisting its neck back to focus on me. It drops to the ground, yellow eyes narrowed as they always are when they're first released. The crowd gasps and I briefly glance up to take in their expressions.

Men and women – someone had the good sense to ban children from these types of events – gaze down from where they rest in relative safety. I can make out the glimmer in their eyes, the grins on their lips. They want to see its blood. They want to see me tear the beating heart out of its chest and parade it around on the end of a sword. They want to see its head separated from its shoulders.

Gods and we think _dragons_ are monsters?

I'm supposed to change these people?

The bloodlust in their eyes is unmistakable and I'm suddenly hit with the realization that this will never work. No matter what I say they'll never change their ways, what I'm doing is absolutely futile.

' _But you have to try.'_

Yes, yes I do. That's the only reason that I'm here right now and not off on some deserted isle hunting small game with Toothless.

' _You can't abandon them…neither the dragons nor the Vikings.'_

My attention is brought back to the Nightmare as it begins its advance. I meet its eyes and start stepping back, dropping my shield and dagger. A murmur does up from the crowd but I ignore them, holding my hands out placatingly as I continue to back up.

"It's alright" I croon, feeling calm as those yellow eyes briefly follow my discarded weapons before returning to me. The Nightmare is confused, just like they all are when I first disarm myself in front of them, but it still isn't relaxed. It still doesn't trust me.

"You're okay" I say, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The dragon responds to my soothing tone and stops trying to back me into the wall. With carefully slow movements I reach for the helmet on my head, lifting it from my skull and holding it in front of me. I make eye contact with my dad, whose prideful smile has slipped from his face. He's standing now, looking confused and a bit angry.

I return my eyes to the Nightmare then throw the helmet down. The clatter of it hitting the ground is almost deafening in the silent arena.

"I'm not one of them."

The moment the words leave my lips everyone starts murmuring, glancing at each other uncertainly. I don't listen to what they're saying, I can guess what it is and don't have time for the insults right now.

' _What's a Hiccup always a Hiccup right?'_

"Stop the fight" my father's voice raises above the muttering.

"No!" I say, "I need you all to see this."

My hand inches toward the Nightmare's snout. Its eyes are half lidded, pupils wide, a clear sign of relaxation.

"They aren't what we think they are…"

Just a few more inches…a little more and they would all see…

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" my dad screams, drawing the hammer strapped to his belt and smashing it against the bars.

The Nightmare's eyes go wide, pupils slitting, and I barely have enough time to jerk my arm back before its jaws clamp shut. I dodge under a blast of fire and scream before darting away with the dragon hot on my heels. I don't dare to glance over my shoulder and see how close it is, the wind from it snapping jaws is enough.

I make a sharp turn, hoping that it'll hit the wall and be stunned enough for me to get a head start. That hope proved to be in vain, the Nightmare is a lot more maneuverable than a Nadder or Gronkle, given that it walks on its wingtips you can't really expect any less.

Another spray of fire barely misses my head. The smell of burnt hair assaults my senses.

Making a beeline for the row of weapons I grab a shield just in time to guard against the Nightmare, who launches itself over the rack and nearly crushes me. I scream again and scramble away. The dragon's right on my heels when I hear Aster shout my name, glancing over my shoulder I see that the Nightmare is lying on the ground. It gets up, shakes itself, and goes after Aster.

"This way!" my dad shouts from the exit.

I shriek again as a blast of fire narrowly misses before changing course and making a run for safety. Aster makes it first, my dad grabbing him by the arm and flinging him behind before reaching his hand out for me. Fire slams into the wall between us, making me slide to a stop and struggle back to my feet as the Nightmare charges, nipping at my back. This time I can't get away fast enough when it pounces, trapping me beneath its claws. But just as it looks about ready to deliver the finishing blow a familiar whistling permeates the air. My eyes open wide.

 _No…._

A second later the arena dome explodes and a cloud of smoke fills the area. I can hear alarmed cries as the Nightmare is torn off me and dragged away, then shouts of "Night Fury!" along with panicked screams.

I sit up to see Toothless wrestle the Nightmare to the ground, shoving it off when it manages to get its jaws around his leg. My dragon companion roars, hissing and baring his fangs as he blocks the attacking foe from its continuous attempts to skirt around him and get to me.

With one particularly nasty snarl and a flare of his wings Toothless effectively cows the Nightmare, making it back up to the arena wall, shifting its eyes back and forth nervously before making a break for it. Toothless snorts and I struggle to my feet, rushing up to plant myself at his side.

"Toothless go, get out of here!" I shout, glancing nervously at the army of Vikings surrounding the ring.

He doesn't listen, crouching low to the ground in defense as they start to pour in, surrounding us.

"Get out of here!" I scream desperately, pushing will all the force I can muster against his temple in the hope that he'll get the hint and run for it.

Instead he hisses and I turn to see my father running toward us, hammer in hand. Toothless springs into action jumping over the bodies that throw themselves at him and flicking them out of the way with his tail, all the while making his way to my dad. Once he gets within striking distance my dragon jumps in the air, landing on top of my father and going into a triple barrel roll that ends with him on top.

Growling and opening his mouth wide I recognize the tell-tale sound of fire building in the back of his throat.

"No! NO!" I shout.

This time Toothless listens, hesitating an instant before swallowing his fire and shooting me a saddened look. Before I have a chance to feel guilty my dad hits him in the face with his hammer and the others dog pile him. I start to run toward them but Aster catches me, holding me back as they restrain my best friend.

"NO!" I shout, tears burning the back of my eyes, "don't hurt him! Please!"

Toothless can't move and someone offers my dad an axe. I cry out, the tears finally flowing as I redouble my efforts. But Aster won't let go no matter how much I jerk or scream or beg. To my relief my father rejects the weapon, saying simply: "Put it with the others," before turning and walking my way.

I've stopped struggling but I can't stop crying as I watch Toothless get carried off. My dad grips my arm harder than he's ever dared and somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder if he's holding it hard enough to shatter the bone as he drags me off. I strain to see Toothless over the crowd of Vikings and I catch a glimpse of him through the sea of bodies.

Our eyes meet.

His pupils are slitted but instantly widen when he sees me, though I can tell he isn't particularly happy with either his position or mine. My heels are barely touching the ground by the time we round the corner to exit the arena, Toothless' sad croon following me out.

Dad drags me back to our hall, shoving me in the door so hard that I stumble and nearly fall. He slams the door behind us and stalks inside.

"I should have known" he grumbled, beginning to pace, "I should have seen the signs!"

"Dad…dad listen please, I don't care what you do to me but please don't hurt Toothless" I beg, not even bothering to hide my tears or keep the note of pleading from my voice.

He turns his incredulous stare on me, "The dragon? That's what yer worried about? Not the people ye almost killed?"

"He was just protecting me!" I argue, "oh man this is so messed up…"

"Of all the things ye could have done this!?" my father shouts, knocking over a pitcher of water sitting on the counter. It slams into the wall and I can't help but wince. "They've killed hundreds of us Hiccup!"

"And we've killed thousands of them!" I shout back, suddenly angry, "they defend themselves, that's all!"

Stoick scoffs and turns his back on me once again.

I take a deep breath, "Look dad there's something….else on their island if they don't bring enough food back they'll be eaten themselves-"

"Their island?" he perks up and I realize my mistake, "Ye've been ta the nest?"

"Uh…did I say nest?"

"Where is it? How did ye find it?"

"I-I-I didn't, Toothless did, only a dragon can-"

A look of comprehension dawns on his face and I feel my heart drop. "No…no, no, no, no, no, dad!" I shout, trying to grab his arm as he storms past me. He brushes me off. "Dad no…" I say, frozen to the spot as he makes it to the door.

A burst of anger lights up my heart and I charge forward, gripping his wrist again, "For once in your life could you just please listen to me!" I scream, sheer desperation coloring my words.

This time he shoves me, making me fall to the ground while he hovers above. My dad has always had an imposing presence, larger than life but gentle and caring at the same time. But now…he's glaring at me under busy ginger brows and for the first time in my life I discovered why people fear him so. For a moment I actually believed he would strike me but he shook it off, narrowing his green eyes that people always say are so much like my own.

"Ye've thrown yer lot in with them" he growls, "yer not a Vikin'…yer not my daughter…"

There's true disappointment in his eyes now, the kind of sad disappointment that tells you just how badly you've screwed up. It's completely different from the looks he usually favors me with, the kind that are more frustrated and tired then truly angry. This look is the kind you get when there's no fixing something, when what you've done is so irredeemable that there's no way to fix it.

Just like that the rug is torn out from under me and my heart shatters, a fresh wave of tears cascading down my cheeks as his words sink in. He slams the door closed, leaving me in darkness. My mouth is open. My throat is dry. There's barely enough strength in my arms to hold me up as I stare blankly in front of me.

Then my mouth closes and I bite my lip, unconsciously trying to suppress the sob clawing its way up my throat. "Daddy…" I whisper into the blackness, using the affectionate term that I'd bestowed upon him as a small child.

' _No, not daddy, just Stoick.'_

I bite down hard enough to draw blood and barely notice the iron taste on my tongue.

" _Vikin's don't cry…"_

' _But I'm no longer a Viking.'_

With that thought in mind I release the restrictor I'd placed on my sorrow and scream brokenly, curling up on the floor and weeping harder than I have for years.

 **TCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTCTC**

I don't know how long it is before I run out of tears and strength.

I don't know how long it is before I pull myself up from the floor and make my way outside.

But by the time I get to the cliffs edge all the ships are loaded and I watch in sorrow as they haul Toothless, strapped down and still struggling, down to the lead ship. I don't even bother looking for my f – Stoick. He wouldn't want me to anyway.

The ships are long out of sight before I realize that Aster is standing next to me. My senses are practically numb as I watch the empty horizon.

"Are you okay?" he asks hesitantly.

Instead of replying I turn to look at him, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Right…sorry, you've lost your best friend, your tribe, and your only family all in the same day."

"Thanks for summing that up" I croak, my voice fractured from sobbing, "Gods I should have just killed him…why couldn't I kill him when I found him in the woods?" I groaned.

"I've been wondering that myself" Aster said, "anyone else would have, so why didn't you?"

"Does it matter now?" I ask, kicking a loose stone over the edge of the cliff.

"It matters to me" he replies.

I groan, "I couldn't kill him…are you happy? I'm the only Viking ever who was unable to kill a dragon."

"First to ride one though."

That gave me pause.

"But why couldn't you?" he pressed.

I whirled on him, frustration finally building to a breaking point, "I wouldn't okay!"

"You said wouldn't that time" Aster said, not missing a beat as he took a step closer.

"I just…" sighing deeply I averted my gaze to the ground, "it was his eyes…when I looked into them I saw…myself. He was just as scared as I was! How can I kill something in cold blood like that?"

"You couldn't" Aster answered simply and I glanced up to see him staring at the horizon, "but I'm betting that he's pretty scared right now, so what're you gonna' do about it?"

"Probably something stupid…" I mutter.

His eyes returned to mine and I could make out a glimmer of humor in them, "You already did that."

I smiled. It was a small one, but a smile none the less. "Then how about something crazy?"

A grin broke out on his face, "Sounds like a plan to me."

My smile grew and I leaned in to kiss his cheek, "Will you do me a favor and get the others?"

"What do you have planned?"

"I'll show you when you all get down to the training arena."

He pulled back, still grinning.

"You got it."

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"What are we doing here?" Tuff asked as they all made their way into the arena. Evidently Aster hadn't really filled them in.

"We're gearing up to go after the fleet" I said, stepping out in front of them.

"Hiccup?" Ruff said, "What do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said."

"Why in Helheim should we trust you?" Snotlout asked, "You're a traitor!"

Aster frowned at my cousin's assessment before stepping up to stand next to me, very noticeably wrapping an arm around my waist. "She isn't a traitor, there's a damn good reason she did what she did."

"And what is that?" Fishlegs inquired softly. Ah good old Fish' never very confrontational.

"I don't have time to go into detail but long story short there's a huge dragon on that island, like half the size of Berk huge, there's no way that they'll be able to beat it" I said.

Everyone's eyes went wide at that, though Snotlout quickly shook his surprise off, replacing it with fake bravado, "Why should we trust you?"

This time Aster actually scowled, "Lout' I was with her, I saw it too."

That seemed to really get all their attention.

"Okay…so what are we supposed to do?" Ruff asked, breaking the silence, "I mean if the entire village isn't a match for it then how are we supposed to help?"

I smiled and stepped away from Aster, gesturing to the cage doors, "Easy, we get help."

"Wait…you mean the dragons?" Fishlegs questioned, looking more than a little queasy with the thought.

Tuffnut laughed out loud, "Man that idea's insane! I love it!"

He pranced up to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, jostling me about. Aster was quick to step forward and pull me away. For a second I thought he would deck Tuff but Ruff got to her twin first, smacking him a good one upside the head.

Turning away from her sibling, practically flattened on the ground, Ruff faced me, "I'm game, point me to the dragon and I'll hop on, no promises that stuff won't get blown up along the way though."

I smiled and looked to Fishlegs, who looked put on the spot but nodded anyway. Snotlout, deciding that he didn't want to be left behind, huffed before agreeing.

"Okay, we'll start with the Nightmare then."

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The battle field was a mess by the time we made it, a sea of smoke and fire and death. The queen dragon had deserted the mountain, chasing the army of Vikings from one side of the island to the other. I could make out the line of burnt ships, completely engulfed in flames, and knew that Toothless was down there somewhere, trapped and probably terrified.

Tuffnut let out a low whistle, "Man…look at that…"

"Pretty bad…" Fishlegs agreed, looking ready to turn and head back to Berk.

"Okay I think I believe you now…" Snotlout said.

We swooped down over the burnt ships, circling the monstrous creature. Tuffnut, regaining his daredevil demeanor, hooted and called out: "Look at us! We're on dragons! All of us!" as loud as he could manage, making more than a few of the warriors turn and gape.

Most of the army had evacuated to the opposite side of the island but I could make out two burly forms prancing around under the giant creature's feet. With a start I realized that it was my d – Stoick and Gobber. Probably distracting it so that everyone else could escape. My jaw set, resolve hardening as I motioned for everyone to circle.

"Fishlegs break it down!" I shouted.

"Alright! Heavily armored skull, tail made for bashing and crushing, steer clear of both. Small eyes, large nostrils, relies on hearing and smell!" he replied.

"Lout' and Legs' you guys make some noise, try to keep it confused. Ruff, Tuff find out if it has a shot limit, make it _mad_ " I instructed.

"That's my specialty!" the female Thorston twin called back with a mad grin.

Tuffnut scoffed, "Says who? Everyone knows that I'm more annoying, see?" To prove his point he directed the Zippleback head he was riding so that he was upside-down, making a face at his sister along with a strange gargling choke noise.

"Just do what I told you! I'll be back in a bit!" I called out, angling the Nadder to the line of burning ships.

Tuffnut hooted off in the distance as they commenced their attack while my eyes scanned the flames for any sign of my dragon. "There!" I shouted, pointing to the lead ship. Toothless was strapped near the bow, struggling against the leather straps holding him captive.

I handed the reigns to Aster and stood, ready to jump. He caught my wrist and I turned to stare into his serious blue orbs. "Be safe" he said. I smiled and nodded before dropping, managing to land just beside Toothless.

"Go help the others!" I hollered before focusing all my attention to my trapped friend.

He crooned up at me and I pulled a metal pipe I'd managed to swipe from the forge out of my belt. "It's okay bud, I'll get you out of this don't worry" I grunted, working at the restraints.

The leg braces came off easily and I rushed to take off the leather straps that were holding his jaw closed. I jammed my metal bar into the links of a chain, throwing my weight against it and snapping the piece in two, making me have to catch my balance to avoid slamming into Toothless. I cursed sharply as I held up the pieces of my only tool, looking around frantically for something, anything, that I could use to break the lock.

My eyes landed on a sword propped up against the deck. Without thinking I scrambled for it, wrapping my hand around the hilt. At the same moment there was a splintering crack and the mast toppled. I screamed as it crashed to the deck, separating me from Toothless. Blood was roaring in my ears as I searched for a way to get back to my dragon. There wasn't one that I could see. Cursing again I ran my hand through my hair, beginning to get desperate.

Something inside me shifted and I looked up sharply, hit with a sudden burst of inspiration. I stared at the flaming mast, then past the fire to where Toothless was struggling to look at me over his shoulder. With a deep breath I backed up as far as I could go without getting fried by the fire behind me before taking a running leap.

I curled myself into a ball, using my arms to shield my face as I dove through the flames. I crashed to the other side, rolling around to dispel the fire that had lit up on my clothes, probably not a good idea to do that wearing a wool tunic and leggings. Dropping the sword that I'd kept ahold of I slapped at the flames while Toothless cried out in alarm.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, that was the moment that the queen dragon's tail hit the ship. The thing wasn't structurally sound when on fire to begin with but the added trauma only made it worse. There was a loud crack and the next thing I knew we were in the ocean. My cheeks ballooned with air and I opened my eyes wide, forcing them to focus past the sting of the salt water to see Toothless floating down to the bottom.

Luckily the sword was still there, though I had to waste precious seconds trying to pull it out from between a pair of rocks. Eventually I gave up, slamming my foot against it. I ignored the pain and kept battering it until it snapped, then swam over to where Toothless was trapped. My lungs were burning, vision blurring, as I jammed the sword into the lock. It was the last thing keeping Toothless in place, once that was gone he would be free.

Using all the strength I could muster I rammed the broken sword into the chains. They broke under the force and I had a brief moment of satisfaction before the dark spots overtook me. The next thing I knew I was back on land, spewing water while Toothless hovered over me in concern.

"Hey bud…" I whispered, lifting a hand to his nose. He crooned affectionately and nuzzled my palm before nudging me to my feet. Right, still have a job to do.

I coughed a bit, trying to work more air into my lungs before I straightened. From what I could see Fish' had disappeared, which made me worry almost as much as seeing Snotlout crawling around on the queens skull, jabbing his hammer into her eyes. At least Aster and the twins were still up. No more time to lose.

I vaulted onto Toothless and we took off. Aster was the first to notice, barking directions at the bickering twins, who promptly swooped down to nab Snotlout and make their escape. Aster attempted to follow but the queen opened her huge maw, trying to suck both him and his Nadder in.

"I don't think so!" I shouted, flattening myself against Toothless' back as we swooped down toward her, releasing a powerful blast of blue fire into her side. There was so much force behind the blast that it knocked her over, indirectly blowing Aster off his Nadder. My dragon looped in the air and dove down toward the falling boy, Aster's screams cutting off as we passed.

"Did you get him?" I called, trying to cock my head so that I could see underneath us.

Toothless dropped his head so that he was level with our passenger, making a happy crooning noise that I took to mean we'd saved him. Swooping low we dropped Aster to the side before shooting back off the ground.

"That thing has wings" I say, "Let's see if she can use them!"

Toothless twirls in mid-air swinging us back around for another pass at the queen, who was just starting to rise from where we'd last knocked her over. This shot hits her in the jaw, hard enough to snap her head to the side and effectively catch her attention. She unfurls her wings and takes flight. I glanced over my shoulder to see the tell-tale buildup of gas forming in the back of her throat.

"Get ready to move bud!" I call and we swerve to the side just in time to miss a huge burst of magma off to the right, then another to the left.

"Odin!" I shout, "She doesn't mess around."

We head for the sea stacks, weaving around them while the queen is forced to barrel through. It doesn't even seem to faze her. "Okay Toothless time to disappear!" I yell, urging him up toward the dark storm clouds hanging overhead, "C'mon bud!"

The queen follows, forcing us to dodge more lava blasts before we manage to lure her into the darkness. She roared and thrashed, obviously irritated at our disappearance. We swerve and glide, dive-bombing her from above with precise bursts of blue fire. The beast's growls and snaps in her frustration, eventually growing tired enough of the game to spew out a string of lava at random.

"Watch out!" I warn as the flames barely miss, only managing to clip Toothless' tailfin.

"Time's up!" I shout, spotting the flames eating away at the leather prosthetic.

We dive, dodging around one of her wing-tips and sweeping past her face. "C'mon!" I shout, "Is that all ya got?"

Toothless shrieks his Night Fury battle cry, further provoking her as she tries to snap her jaws closed on top of us. A swift maneuver is all it takes to get out of the way and goad her into following as we dive. My dragon companion keeps his wings extended just enough to keep us from losing her, allowing her to keep us in her sights.

"Hold Toothless" I say, "just stay with me for a bit longer!"

We're approaching the break in the cloud cover, I can hear the hiss of gas building up in her throat.

"Now!" I shout.

Toothless spins around, shooting his last shot directly down her throat. The beast groans in panic and pain while we right ourselves and Toothless fans his wings, catching the wind and letting us rise back into the air. The cloud cover disappears and her six eyes widen when she spots the ground. Her wings come out in a futile attempt to catch the wind, the membrane tearing apart from our multiple fire blasts.

She lets out one last scream of panic, terror, and sorrow before she smashes into the ground.

The explosion chases us as we dodge around the spines that decorate her back. Her tail is the last obstacle, coming directly at us. I press down on the pedal but we don't move.

"No, no, no!" I shout, stomping down on it in a repeated attempt to get some kind of response.

Toothless flaps frantically, trying to get out of the way, but he isn't fast enough and it hits us. Sharp pain explodes in my head, blurring my vision and knocking my off the saddle. I hear my dragon cry out and manage to crack my eyes open just enough to see him flying toward me.

He looks alarmed and desperate. I feel the urge to comfort him but can't as the black spots start to blot out my sight. All I can see now are those eyes, his expressive green eyes, so full of concern…

"T-Tooth-"

The blackness swallows me and then I know no more.

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I'm warm…

I'm comfortable…

For some reason feeling those things seems strange right now I wonder why?

 **A gargantuan dragon's maw snapping somewhere behind…**

Oh that's right the queen…she was…

 **Toothless swerving to miss the stream of lava that spews from her mouth…**

….chasing us. Toothless and I were fighting her….

 **A blonde haired boy clutching my wrist, "Be safe" he tells me…**

Right, Aster and the others were there too.

 **A pair of warriors prancing around under its great feet…**

My dad and Gobber too…

" _ **Ye aren't a Vikin', ye aren't my daughter."**_

Right…not my dad anymore…just Stoick.

 **A black dragon prancing after a butterfly in the cove…**

Toothless…

 **A grin, tongue lolling out to one side…**

Toothless…

 **Big green eyes, expressive and adorable and** _ **understanding**_ **….**

Toothless…

 **.**

.

 **.**

.

 **.**

My eyes open.

For a moment everything is blurry and I have no idea where I am, then Toothless appears. He's leaning over me, smiling his huge dragon grin and looking happy to see me. I smile and reach out a hand to brush my fingers against his nose. He leans into my touch and my smile grows.

"Toothless…"

He croons at the sound of my voice, nosing me eagerly in an attempt to get me up.

I'm slowly growing more and more coherent, able to make out my surroundings. I'm surprised to find myself in Chief Stoicks hall, resting in a bed set up near the fireplace on the first floor. I sit up with help from Toothless, who had been nosing me since I'd opened my eyes.

I giggled and rubbed him affectionately, prompting a rumbled purr from his throat.

"What happened bud?" I ask him, "The last thing I remember is us fighting the queen and-"

The door opened and I looked up to see Stoick walking inside, a basin of water tucked under one arm. He seems to have aged years since I'd last seen him, black bags sagging under his eyes and worry lines that I'm sure weren't there before pulling at his cheeks.

The somber expression he wore melted when he spotted me, a smile taking over his exhausted features.

"Yer up…" he said, placing the basin on the closest table before grabbing a stool and propping it up at my bedside. "How're ye feelin'?" he asked.

I blinked owlishly at him, swallowing heavily and glancing at Toothless. My dragon looked completely at ease so I knew for sure we weren't in any danger but still…

"Fine…" I whispered.

"That's good, the healer said ye might feel a bit dizzy for a while yet though. Ye…ye lost a lot'a blood…" His voice took on a pinched quality, making his wince a lot more noticeable.

"Why…" my throat was dry and I had to swallow before trying again, "why am I here?"

Stoick's eyebrows drew together in confusion, "What'd ye mean?"

My hands clenched the blankets bunched up in my lap. Gods he was going to make me say it wasn't he.

"I mean, you d-disowned me" I said.

His eyes got wide, the lines returning to his face as understanding dawned. "Oh Hiccup…" he breathed. One of his large hands came out to wrap around my forearm and I let him, the warmth feeling soothing through my shirtsleeve. "I'm so sorry lass…" he said, averting his gaze, "I shouldn't have said that ta ye and I know that being angry isn't any excuse…yer my girl, ye were trying ta protect us from that beast and I didn't listen…I said all those nasty things ta ye…"

I didn't particularly want to remember what he'd said but the words flashed in front of me unbidden. A lump formed in my throat. "I know that nothin' I say could possibly ever make up for what I put ye through…I can't even imagine what it must've been like…but I want ta apologize and ask if ye'll consider lettin' me try and be a father ta ye."

His eyes had taken on a glassy sheen as he spoke, warm hand still resting on my arm. I couldn't tear my gaze from his, those green eyes that are so like my own…

My lip was quivering before I could stop it, the tears flowing easily as I jerked forward to throw my arms around his shoulders and bury my face in his beard. It had been so long since we'd hugged, at least anything more than a one-armed greeting. I half expected him to pull away but instead his arms wrapped around me for the first time in years.

"Daddy…" I whispered.

"Hiccup…" he returned, holding me tighter, stroking my hair.

"Am I dead?" I asked.

"No" I could hear the almost-smile in his voice, "though ye gave it yer best shot…"

I don't know how long we sat there but our hug-fest was eventually disrupted by a knock on the door, making my father reluctantly let go in order to answer it. I wiped at my eyes, trying to get rid of any evidence that I had been crying. Toothless helped by licking my cheek, making me giggle and scratch behind his ear flap.

"C'mon in" my dad said.

I turned just in time to be mobbed by Aster and the others. He made it to me first, dropping down onto the edge of the bed and wrapping me in a hug. Color rushed to my face as I returned the gesture, placing my arms loosely around his waist. It was one thing to do this in front of Gobber, quite another in front of my dad and the others. Especially Ruffnut, who was sporting the widest smirk I've ever seen on a human face.

"A-Aster" I squeaked.

He pulled back and I barely had time to look up before he was pinching my cheek. "Owwwwww!" I whined, rubbing the offended area when he finally let go, "Can you do anything without pinching my cheeks? Geez I just woke up and you're already-"

His lips descended on mine, effectively cutting me off. It was much firmer than the other kisses we'd shared, much more than a simple brush. He broke away more quickly than I'd wanted him to, resting his forehead briefly against mine before whispering, "That first one was for not being safe like I told you."

"A-and the second…?"

He grinned, "That one was because I'm glad you're okay."

"I knew that something was going on with you two!" Ruff gloated, seeming very pleased with herself.

Tuff scratched his head, "Really? I never saw this coming."

"Yea I know…" Snotlout echoed, "I mean Hiccup and Aster…"

Aster had loosened his hold on me, though he kept one hand laced with mine as we sat side by side. He didn't seem very affected by their banter even though I was certainly flushing to the roots of my hair.

"Are you guys really that stupid?" Ruff asked with an eye roll, "It's obvious for both of them, but then again you didn't see Aster mooning after Hiccup during that one raid-"

"Ruff!" Aster shouted, his cheeks dusted pink.

She held her hands up in defense, "I just calls them like I sees them, don't worry Hiccup has mooned after you plenty of times too, like when you went to get the Goethi after Tuff-"

"Ruff!" I shouted, my face hot enough to rival the sun.

Tuff and Lout' cracked up laughing while I was reminded that my father was still in the room by the rough clearing of his throat. "Well I suppose I'll come ta check back up on ye later then, try not ta let her strain herself too much kids. Oh and Aster…" my father had gravitated toward the door while he spoke and already had it open by the time he turned and shot the aforementioned boy a hard look. I felt Aster tense beside me, "…I'll be havin' a talk with ye later lad."

With that he shut the door, letting a pregnant pause fill the empty air before Tuffnut burst out laughing. He was quickly followed by Snotlout and Ruff, even Fishlegs was chuckling behind his hand! I had to bite my lip to keep my smile at bay as I glanced up at Aster to see the hilariously blank look on his face, only caving to the mirth when he actually started to look worried.

"Oh man that was great!" Tuff breathed, clutching his sides, "I mean did you see Aster's face!"

Aster narrowed his eyes at the male Thorston twin, shooting out a leg to strike the side of his knee. Tuff yelped and fell to the floor with a thud. Ruff kicked him for good measure.

Toothless, who had been largely silent until now gave a round of dragon laugher, smiling widely at Aster, who still looked a bit flustered. "Not the dragon too!" the blonde yelled, sending us all into another round of guffaws.

When we finally settled down I asked for some clarification, given that my dad hadn't really left me with much to go on.

"Well you beat the Red Death-"

"Red Death?" I interrupted.

"Yea" Fishlegs continued, "it was the name we gave that dragon, because of all the red spikes it had all over its hide."

"Anyway" Ruff continued, obviously annoyed at being interrupted. I sent her an apologetic smile that she seemed to accept before going on, "You defeated the Red Death but fell into the explosion. We found Toothless after it'd cleared but his tailfin was wrecked and you were nowhere to be found."

"Yea we, like, thought that you'd died or something" Snotlout said, receiving twin glares from Ruff and Fishlegs.

I felt Aster's hand tighten in my own and glanced up to find his jaw set. I would have to remember to ask him about that later, for now I just returned the pressure.

"Turns out that Toothless had wrapped you in his wings when you fell to protect you from the fire. Did Chief Stoick mention…your injuries?" Fishlegs picked up, looking nervous.

I blinked and shook my head, "No…though I can guess most of it. I mean there are some pretty obvious burns up and down my arms, probably a few more too judging from how achy I am. My dad did mention some blood loss though…"

"That was probably your biggest injury…" Legs' continued, making me raise a brow at his tone.

I did a quick check. I hadn't really had time to ponder on my injuries yet but everything felt fine, just some aches and sore spots…wait. I shifted my legs under the blankets before reaching for the cover and pulling it back. My left foot, from the calf down, was gone, replaced with a metal prosthetic that I dimly realized was Gobber's handy work.

For a long moment no one spoke, just staring at the hunk of metal and wood with varying degrees of pity. Aster rubbed his hand up and down my arm in a clear attempt to calm me down. Surprisingly I was calm, just a little shocked. Not every day you lose a foot after all.

"So…this…" I said, wiggling my leg for emphasis.

"That" Aster confirmed.

There was another long moment of silence until I got tired of it and swung my legs over the bed, pulling myself to my feet in the same movement. I wobbled and both Aster and Toothless surged forward to catch me, the latter bowling over Snotlout and the Thorston twins to support me on my right side.

"I-I'm alright" I said, attempting to take a step. I stumble and Aster wraps his arms around me.

"Careful" he says gently, "you won't be able to do much on it for a while, the healer said it'll take a long time before it fully heals."

"Can we go to the forge?" I ask, "I want to go see Gobber, maybe get started on a new pedal for Toothless' tailfin…" I mumble the last part but Aster still hears it.

He nods and lifts me by the waist, making me shriek before I'm set down on Toothless. I shoot Aster an indignant glare, "I can walk on my own you know…"

"I know" he answers simply, "but it's quicker on Toothless."

I frowned but Aster deliberately avoided my eyes.

To my surprise Snotlout is the one to rush and open the door, holding it wide enough for Toothless to slither down the stairs and outside. It's hard to keep ahold of him without a saddle but I manage. Aster is hovering close enough to catch me if I fall, occasionally stumbling over Toothless' legs and gaining a swat from the Night Fury's tail for his troubles.

The other teens follow behind, telling me about what happened after I passed out. Apparently they'd been forced to operate on my leg right after the battle with Ruffnut taking the place of the healer because both the Goethi and her mother were back on Berk.

After amputating my leg they gathered what was left of the ships and sailed back with the most heavily injured on board. Some actually chose to ride dragons, as most of the flock returned with their queens passing. Whoever was left stayed until the others could get back to Berk and send help.

It took days to get things sorted when we got back, but they all taught what they knew about dragons while Gobber used Toothless' saddle as an example and started trying to replicate it. Apparently I'd been out for close to two weeks, which explains why I seem to have lost a lot of weight.

I couldn't help but stare at the sea of dragons that flew above our heads, flying in and out of the dragon stables that had been built at the edge of the village and perching on houses. Some people still looked skittish around them, but seven generations of hatred and war isn't something you can get rid of that quickly.

"Lassie!" Gobber called when he spotted us outside the smithy, abandoning whatever he'd been working on to come and meet us. I smiled and slipped off Toothless, swatting Aster's hand away as he attempted to help me.

My mentor wrapped me in his arms, stinking of sweat and metal, but it was familiar and I returned the affection with gusto. He pulled back quick enough, putting his hand on my shoulder and grinning his toothy smile.

"Good ta see ye up and adam lass! Hope ye like yer new peg, It's my handiwork. With a little Hiccup flair thrown in, ye think it'll do?"

I glanced down at the prosthetic, lifting my knee for a brief visual examination, "I might make a few tweaks."

We all laughed and Gobber pulled me into a one-armed hug again, "Ah I been missin' that wit of yers lass, oh! Tha' reminds me" he suddenly exclaimed, letting go of me to stagger back into the forge.

"Don' go nowhere, I got a surprise for ye!" he called out, disappearing into the smithy.

I raised an eyebrow and looked to Aster, who was conveniently looking the other way. When Gobber came back he was holding a bundle of metal and leather, plopping the mass into my arms as soon as he was close enough.

"A new stirrup and tail I fashioned for ye and the Fury here. Used yer original plans, t'was quite a bit harder than ye make it look lass" he chuckled.

I stared in wonder at the red fin, painted with a white skull. Then a huge smile overtook my face, "It's perfect Gobber thanks so much!"

"S'nothin' Lass" he replied.

I'd already dropped to my knees to fasten the new tailfin in place, which Toothless looked more than happy with as he fidgeted in pure excitement. He hadn't been in the air for two weeks, I can understand his agitation.

"Toothless!" I scolded, missing a buckle for the third time thanks to his squirming, "Sit still so I can finish and we can go flying!"

He didn't listen, as usual, but I still managed to get it to work, huffing in mock irritation while he nudged me with his head, urging me to get on. I obliged, snapping my new prosthetic into place. I was so focused on getting the new harness on that I didn't notice the others call their dragons and mount them, all waiting patiently for me.

I smiled and took off, quickly followed by my friends.

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 _This is Berk._

 _It snows nine months of the year and hails the other three._

 _Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so. The only up sides are the pets. While other places have ponies or parrots._

 _We have…_

 _ **Dragons.**_

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 **Well that's it. I have worked for three days straight on this thing and am very satisfied with the result. The inspiration hit me while looking up the most popular HTTYD fanfictions. Some of them were gender swap Hiccup and Astrid, which made me want to try my hand at it.**

 **Now I also plan to write a separate companion fic in Aster's P.O.V but I'll take that one at a much steadier pace than I did this one. The original goal was for some serious HiccAster romance to go down but I was trying to keep it realistic. Besides the girl's perspective is always a little lacking in the romance department because it's assumed that all guys think about is girls and stupid things.**

 **But hey, what can you do about a couple thousand years of genetics and the fluctuating hormones of adolescence right? Not to mention stereotypes, can never forget those stereotypes.**

 **Now I'd really love some serious comments to be posted as I have been insanely disappointed by only receiving one so far. C'mon people where's the love? I worked hard on this give me something here. I appreciate your Faves but I would really like some commenting. I need to make sure that I've managed to do what I set out to accomplish by writing this which is:**

 **Make it realistic as compared to the movie.**

 **Capture Astrid and Hiccup appropriately in swapped gender personas.**

 **Write good descriptions and language.**

 **Tell me whether or not I did these three things right and give me an overall verdict and I will be set.**

 **THECASTORBEAN**

 **OUT!**


	4. BONUS CHAPTER

"So where exactly are we going?" Aster asked, ducking under a low hanging branch while I scampered ahead of him.

"I told you there's something I want to show you!" I answer.

It had been a week since I'd first woken from my two week slumber and everyone had insisted I stay around the village while I was getting used to my new prosthetic. Aster would always accompany me on flights and Toothless was stubborn enough to fly me home the moment I showed the slightest bit of discomfort. If I were less annoyed by their concern I would have been impressed at how easily my dragon and father communicated, working together to watch me like a hawk and ensure that I could barely do anything without some kind of help.

It took nearly a full day of following my dad around begging to be allowed to go out and a good word from Gobber before he'd allowed it. Even then he'd told me to take Aster and Toothless. The former was here to watch me while the latter was here to watch the former. Dad had been careful not to leave me alone with Aster after his little display on my sickbed. Evidently he'd spoken to Toothless about the issue given that his scaly hide was firmly placed between us even now as we weave through the trees and over the last bend.

My flower field stretched before us and I jogged past the tree line, unceremoniously dumping my satchel on the ground and rummaging through it. I grabbed my scissors and didn't bother to close the flap before making my way over to the nearest patch, snipping off a few roses.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" Aster asked, walking up behind me.

I nodded, "Yea I come here to gather supplies."

"For what?"

I wrinkle my brows in confusion before turning to stare at him over my shoulder. He looks genuinely curious, does that mean he doesn't remember?

"Remember when we were arguing in Toothless' cove right before he jumped out and decided you were a threat?"

He nodded slowly, still not getting it.

"Wait so you don't remember what I screamed at you? When I was yelling about how I can only tinker, mess things up, and…" Gods it was awkward to have to admit this to another person after keeping it to myself for so long, "…making perfume?"

His eyebrows shot up, realization dawning on his features.

"You can make perfume? Like the stuff that the Goethi has my ma' sell in town?"

I rub the back of my neck awkwardly, fiddling with the petals on the rose I'm holding. Maybe I should have asked my dad to let Gobber come with me instead, he already knows about my perfume making business. Hel I could have just lied and said that I was grabbing all this stuff at the Goethi's request…but lying to Aster always makes a hollow pit of guilt set into the bottom of my stomach.

' _Or you could have just not said anything until he asked'_ I thought dryly.

Well that would have been the easiest solution.

"Well I…the Goethi taught me when I was little and I…improved on some of her recipes…." I said, returning my attention to the flowers and hoping that he doesn't notice the light flush on my cheeks.

He kneels down next to me and I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, "Do you help her make it sometimes?"

"Uh…well it's more like she helps me" I reply, "see I make the perfume and she hands it off to your mother to get sold at the market…both of them get a cut of the profit from it while I keep what's left…"

He falls silent and I keep clipping buds, filling my arms to near bursting before he speaks, "So…all these years it's been you making all that perfume?"

I laugh awkwardly, "Yea…thought it would be better for business if everyone thought that someone else was making it…not even my Dad knows…only the Goethi and Gobber. They've been really discrete about it too…probably because I give Gobber freebies and the Goethi gets a cut of the profits….though I think that they would keep the secret anyway seeing how nice they are and-"

I stop rambling as his hand lands on my shoulder. The other grasps my chin and turns me to look at him, "Thank you…" he says simply. I swallow thickly, "What for?"

He smiles, a warm grin that makes my heart warm like a sunny spring morning, "the money my ma' makes selling that perfume really helps us out, you have no idea how much…"

Aster's mother is a widower just like my dad, except she was left to care for five boys on a much smaller budget. It makes the Hofferson's one of the poorest families in the village. None of the boys had been old enough to take up their father's trade as a fisherman either, though the two eldest had begun the process at ages ten and eight. Mostly the family got by with the sons doing whatever odd job they could find. From what I'd heard Axel, the eldest, had even managed to apprentice with another fisherman who was lacking male heirs. He'd saved up enough to get married but that didn't do much for the rest of the family.

Honestly I'd known this when the Goethi first proposed finding someone to sell the perfume at the market. She had suggested talking to either Mrs. Ingerman or Mrs. Jorgenson, but I'd insisted on Mrs. Hofferson. The Goethi wasn't fooled when I stated my reason being that she is honest and sure not to pilfer more than her share, though admittedly that was part of it. But our village Elder is clever and I'm sure she knew of my crush on Aster long before I myself noticed. I don't think I'll ever forget the knowing smile that graced her wrinkled features as I made my way out the door that day.

"It's alright…" I return, "She earns what she makes, I don't think I've ever seen anybody promote a product the way she does."

Aster laughed, "Yea I've passed her in the market once or twice, she's always bringing your stuff home y'know? The house smells like a garden."

I giggled back, "Glad she likes them, a lot of those are on the house given that she also does me the favor of testing any new blends I come up with."

Only a half truth. Both Mrs. Hofferson and Gobber are glad enough to test my creations. I hand out freebies to Mrs. Hofferson because I don't want her to have to pay for them, no doubt her family needs them during winter anyhow.

"Thanks for that" Aster replies, "seriously…thank you."

The warmth in his voice makes me lean forward a kiss his cheek chastely, "No problem."

"You…I mean…Gods do you know how amazing you are Hiccup?" Aster breathes, looking flushed and more than a little nervous with the admission.

Nice to see that I'm not the only one flustered for once.

"I'm not that special…"

"You beat the biggest dragon in Viking history during your first battle, you saved the entire village, you befriended a _Night Fury_ , you fixed my axe, and now…now I find out that you've been helping my family financially for years without my knowledge? How on Asgard is that not special?"

"Well…um…"

Wow, hard to argue with that logic.

"You're amazing" he breaths, leaning in closer.

His breath is mingling with mine we're so close. My eyes are half lidded, staring into his blue orbs. The tingles have started, making me feel hyper-sensitive and anticipant of the inevitable brush of our lips –

A huge black nose shoves itself between us, sending me sprawling on my rump.

" _Toothless!_ " I cry in exasperation.

He just lolls his tongue out triumphantly and smacks Aster with his tail before turning and laying a wet one right on my face. I squeal and try to shove him off, which only serves to send him into another round of dragon kisses. "Stop! Toothless!" I laugh, "You know dragon spit doesn't wash out!"

The jealous lizard.


End file.
